


Ostara

by WarriorNun



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Dark Character, Dark E. Aster Bunnymund, Developing Relationship, Fantasy, Folklore, Implied Mpreg, M/M, Mythology References, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Pagan Gods, Papa Wolf Moments, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slow Romance, Stalking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-05-16
Updated: 2016-11-29
Packaged: 2018-01-24 23:47:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 14
Words: 34,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1621376
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WarriorNun/pseuds/WarriorNun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack Frost is just another college student on a field trip in Australia, studying the recently discovered temple of a lost god. However, he would soon learn that not everything is all myths and legends.   Will he be able to keep one step ahead of the newly awaken god and find a solution, or let the world suffer for his mistake?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Awakening of the Lost God

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time submitting my work on this site. And me jumping on the bandwagon of dark!Bunnymund scenario, and I'm sure that they featured him either as an elder god/pagan deity but those stories set him around the colonial period. I think it might be interesting to shake things up a bit and set him around the modern era...
> 
> There will be references to the lore, such as Easter, and also pop culture references. 
> 
> This story is also featured on deviantArt and fanfiction.net. 
> 
> With that said, please enjoy!
> 
> Pairing(s): JackRabbit/BunnyFrost (Bunny/Jack)
> 
> Warning(s): slash/yaoi, male pregnancy, forms of violence, strong language, usage of drugs, alcohol, and/or tobacco, mentions of human sacrifice, possible references of certain mythologies, sudden case of Out of Character moments, possible misinformation of Easter lore (for that, I apologize) and things of that nature. 
> 
> I do not hold the rights to Rise of the Guardians, it is rightfully owned by William Joyce and Dreamworks.

\--

_During the age of Paganism, a festival for Ishtar was celebrated as the goddess of fertility and love in the Babylonian civilization while Ēostre is renowned for bringing forth spring in Germany. Both goddesses are from different parts of the world but have two common symbols that represent them: the egg and the rabbit._

Centuries later, during the Christianizing by the Church, Constantine declared that particular day to represent the resurrection of Christ. 

Thus bringing forth the holiday known as Easter that we all know today…

\--

“Alright, people….watch your step! Keep in mind of the age old custom that is the buddy system! I know it’s childish, but that’s what kept you safe during pre-k.”

Jack couldn’t help but laugh softly as he shook his head, while adjusting his camera and keeping close to their professor. It was their first college field trip for their mythology class, and they don't want to waste any minute of it. He couldn't blame them, other than visiting the great Outback, the entire continent pales in comparison to the archaeological discovery of a temple from a lost civilization. Their professor, Joyce, mentioned that they would be visiting it this semester, and being an intern for a historian, he is more than happy to take some pictures. 

He heard a sound of someone retching causing him to look over and filled with an odd mixture of regret and sympathy. Regret for picking the time to see vomit, while sympathy is for his classmate who is seasick.  
"You think you're going to be alright, pal?" Jack asked the young man. 

The brunet nodded, still bracing his knees. "Yeah....just need to....get my land legs back on again." His classmate replied, holding back more vomit. The pale-haired youth stared at him concern, while rubbed his back soothingly. To think that he had almost forgot about his transportation sickness, he gotten so sick throughout the flight that he practically threw up his ginger ale once they finally reached land.  
"Take all the time you need, Jim. Luckily where we're going will be on solid dry land." Their class professor called after them.

Jack helped his classmate up before rejoining their class as they gather around their favorite professor. 

Professor Joyce -or Will, in order to feel less old - is the relaxed type of college teachers. He does take his job seriously, but he knew how to make the lessons fun and have the students look forward to every Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. They covered all kind of mythologies and even have meaningful discussions on certain symbolisms behind them. He didn’t even left out the urban legends and fairy tales, Bunnyman, in particular, is something that could send a chill down anyone’s spine. He remembered his classmate, David, basically asked if it was possible to ward off of the said urban legend figure with _Supernatural_ logic such as rock salt ammo. 

"Where's that, sir?" Jack couldn’t contain his eagerness, after all it was not every day that you get to learn not only the lost culture, but the possibility of a deity that they have never heard of before.  
"The very temple that was said to once house a pagan deity…while the legend about it is a little vague on the details, the known fact is that the deity laid waste to the land when the villagers wouldn't appease it with a virgin sacrifice. So they called in a shaman from the main land – that is Australia today- to seal the beast in stone. The only way to revive it was by placing the petrified statue in contact with a piece of armor that belonged to it." He explained.

That alone peak his interest as he walked up to his professor- with Jim in tow, though he was gingerly trying to keep his balance on the island- curious to know more.

"The village no longer gives out virgins as tribute? Is there a reason?" it was a question out of curiosity. But it is a good one, it was rather strange for a pagan deity to reject numerous sacrifices and yet allow the village to live.

Granted that throughout his studies, sacrifices can also be in a form of food or animals. But ritual killing of a human being, may it be man, woman, or child, doesn't sit well for him. He doesn't know if the life of another person would really prevent a natural disaster, but it was just another cruel example of human nature combined with superstition and frantic belief.

"From what I gathered from a colleague of mine, it was because the creature never seemed to be satisfied with the sacrifice he was given, saying that the virgin wasn't the worthy one. So he would banish the rejected sacrifice from the village, even if most of the parents don’t really agree with him. Finally the villagers couldn't take it and had the deity petrified for the rest of its years." Will explain to his students, some are getting more interesting while others are getting skeptical. 

"Whatever happened to the statue, sir?" Jim asked. Everyone was wondering about the same question as well, though at the same time skeptical. There is no way that it actually happened…even if it did, why didn’t anyone left some form of recording?

"It actually still remains here. The country never allowed the statue to be tampered with in any way as they were worried that it create a curse or even cause the spirit to leak out. It took some arm pulling just to get us entrance into the temple." 

There were scoffs here and there, though most of them are kind of weary. It could be some kind of government conspiracy like Area 51 in Roswell.

"Wow. It sounds like this deity was a real evil thing. But if he didn't kill the virgin sacrifices, why did he want them?" One of the female members of their group asked. 

"It was said that the deity wanted a bride, someone to carry on his line of warriors. He even took virgin males and would use fertility potions in hopes of impregnating them. But he proclaims that each and every one of them is unworthy and banished the sacrifices from the village to never be seen again." The older man answered, readjusting his glasses. “Possibly the closest thing to a civilization is, well, Australia. But even back then, it is rather a dangerous place to live. Not to mention that the estimated age of the tributes would be around 14-16.”

He wasn’t joking, even when he looked up some information about the continent, Jack was surprised that even a smallest creature or plant have the potential to kill a human being, either local or outsider. He still couldn’t believe that a seemingly harmless creature such as a koala can shred off a person’s face with its razor sharp claws. 

"This god has some really high standards for the ladies and gents..." Jim snarked, earning a few chuckles from his fellow classmate; he seemed to be looking a bit better. 

Jack laughed at his comment but couldn't help but agree with him. In various mythologies, gods, both female and male, take on multiple lovers of different status. The ones who prefer monogamous relationships are a special case. 

"This god..." Jack spoke up. "What is he associated with? War? Destruction?"

"Fertility and war, to be exact, my dear Jack…apparently this god was the last of his people and associated with the line of fertility gods and goddesses in hopes of gaining a bride to breed him a new family and also associated with the line of war gods and goddesses to train his future generation." 

"Sheesh…sounds like this god was having his cake and really eating it too." The dirty blond teen commented. Leave to their resident wisecracking snarker of the class. 

"In a way, yes he did, Jim. But thankfully we don't have to worry about him anymore. There is a slim chance that the statue could come into contact with that armor piece of his anyway." The way he spoke sound like he was reassuring that the trip that they’re going on is safe, and they would get back to the US in one piece and sound of mind. “Besides, to this day, the armor piece is still lost.”

"Well, I say we still keep our guard up. I don't want to be a virgin sacrifice for some twisted god!" David exclaimed. He’s a tall brunet young man with an athletic build, from what Jack knew about him that while he is the quarterback of their college football team, he is majoring in sociology. 

"You have to be a virgin first, David." Jim commented which made the other youth nudge him playfully as everyone laughed. 

“Wait, he’s a virgin?” someone asked. 

Before David could retort with a witty comment, Will clapped his hands to gain their attention. "Come now boys, let's be friends. Now we should be getting close to the artifacts room where the government said we could do a little play excavation and then after that we'll go separately into groups of two so that we can explore more of the temple." 

Everyone then followed their professor who met up with a guide that have met them, Jack made one last check up on his camera before felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned around to see that it was his seat mate.

"Rose..."

Rose Jameson is a nice girl-next-door type – athletic figure, decent fashion of polo shirts and jeans and sneakers combo, bright reddish hair and freckles, the works - even though she and Jack went to different high schools before meeting for the first time at the start of their freshman year in college. Since they’re named after a two main characters of a certain film featuring a ship, most of their classmates made _Titanic_ reference jokes. Hell, there is a certain dynamic duo that managed to make a mini flash mob concert in the middle of campus with Celine Dion’s _My Heart will Go On_. 

"You don't think it's all true right?" She asked. "I mean it’s just a story to scare people."

"Well I'm not too sure, Rosie. I mean we've heard of stranger legends that turned out to have some basis." Jack said, checking to see if he had some film left. While he does take digital pictures from time to time, he found that taking pictures the old fashion way is more appealing, artsy as his guardian mentioned. “Like the literal gate to Hell, for example, that is found in Turkey, which is filled with poisonous gas which could instantly kill you if you took in a slightest breath of it.”

"I wish you wouldn't say that. Why can't you be a skeptic mythology student, Jack?" She asked with a whine which made Jack laugh. 

"Don't worry, Rose. Like Will said, that god is petrified in stone and so long as it doesn't come into contact with that piece of its armor it'll stay that way." He assured her. “Easy peasy.” 

"You better be right, Frost. Unlike David, I'm an actual virgin and I sure as Hell don't want to be a sacrifice." 

Even though admitting that one is a virgin is a complete no-no, a more or less an unwritten rule in this day and age, but Rose seemed to be an oddity. Since she and Jack are close enough friends, they’re able to tell each other’s secrets. They mostly found time to hang out and Jack served as a shock absorber whenever she ran into a stressful situation. Of course, he would be more than happy to provide a shoulder to cry on and lend a sympathetic ear. 

"Don't worry, Rose…for all we know it could be just another fairy tale to scare little kids. Now let's get going before we get lost." Jack said and the two students ran to catch up with the group. 

Soon enough, the college group got to the artifacts room and using their tools did a little excavation. After that the professor paired up the students who would go in pairs. When Jack and Rose were paired up, the other students teased them about watching out for the god looking for virgin brides to which Jack had to hold back his friend to keep her from hitting anyone. If there is one thing that he know his months with her, is that she is given basic training of mixed martial arts by her cousin. Eventually everyone went their separate ways to do some exploring. 

Jack couldn't help but laugh as Jim and David, the dynamic duo, have a duet of that damnable song. 

"Just be thankful that I didn't freeze today!" He remarked, before taking a picture of a landscape. 

"Did you just made a _Back to the Future reference_?!" Rose remarked from another site, apparently she found a fossil.

"No, I did not!"

"It sure sounds like you did. Next thing I know you'll make older movie references." Rose commented. 

"Nah, I filled my quota for that,” he took a look around of the surroundings, he couldn’t help but marvel at the sheer beauty, still managed to withstand the tests of Time. “Isn't this place beautiful? I can understand why that beast lived here. It's very spacious and well built." Jack took several pictures; he had to make sure to make copies of them. They could be nice additions to his scrapbook. 

"Yes it is. I can also see several many fertility statues and what look to be wall carving depicting battle. The professor was right about what that deity specialized in." Rose spoke, observing some of the pristine statues. She blushed a bit when she came across the ones that were a bit…risqué. 

"Yeah, I really feel sorry for the banished virgins though. Never being allowed to come home just because that person is not your type…harsh,” Snap went his camera as an emphasis. These carvings are enough to make the Greco-Roman art look softer by comparison, they don’t hold back on the hardcore. 

"Yeah, I'm glad he can't do any more harm in this day and age." She spoke while making a quick look around. 

"Me too, but still, I wonder if...GAH!" Jack exclaimed as he tripped. He barely had time to break his fall with his hands; he winced when he felt pain shot up through his palm.  
"Jack...Jack! Are you okay?" Rose asked as she rushed over, feeling.

The white-haired teen winced as he gingerly propped himself up from the ground, checking his wound, only to find a slight scrape and dirt. "I'm fine. So is my camera too, thank goodness. I tripped over that thing." He spoke before pointing at what he thought was a rock. However, with a closer inspection, it looked metallic the way the sun lit shone. 

"That looks like metal. Help me dig it out…" Rose then pulled out her shovel and begun to dig out the dirt. Jack grabbed his, and plunge the blade into the ground. It took about a good fifteen minutes but they managed to dig it out to see that it was some sort of wrist guard.

"Now that's weird..." she commented. "This is in a centuries old site but it still looks brand new!"

"I gotta agree with you there. But still a cool find,” then he stood up, feeling light headed despite kneeling down for at least few minutes or so. “Let's take it with us and when we get back to to show Will this." He suggested.

"Great idea, but can you carry it? My pack is already full." Rose opened up her back to show some impressive finds, like seashells and fossil alike, that she had come across. She wasn’t kidding. 

Jack nodded. "Sure, now let's get going." After depositing the wrist guard in his satchel, the two walked on further into the temple. 

The hallway was starting to become darker; Rose used her flashlight to light the way. Rats would scamper away and spiders would scatter into the darkness of their higher up webs, Jack felt her move closer to him as she gripped his arm. Along the way the two passed old rooms where some looked like crypts and others looked like possible living quarters. But it was the room that they passed around, the bins that really caught Jack's attention. He stopped Rose before she could walk ahead and turned her to a large room, resembling a royal throne chamber. 

The teens cautiously walked in and made sure to walk over the skeletons, possibly guards that slowly died from exhaustion or a break-in. Though the latter is most likely possibility, after all, who in their right mind would try to break in a temple dedicated to a god?

"Look at this place. My entire house could fit in here." Rose commented softly in awe.

"More than your house…the whole neighborhood and half of the campus could fit in here." Jack spoke up.

"Yeah…wait until the professor sees what we found...Oh...my...God." Rose said slowly as her flashlight landed on a lone statue in the middle of the throne room and her blue-green eyes bulged out that that they might fall out of her skull.

There stood before them is a six or seven foot statue of a partial armored deity. 

In form of some sort of rabbit…

Or what a rabbit would look like if it was a fierce humanoid beast.

Both college students could do nothing but stare up at the statue in silence. After a moment, one of them finally spoke up. 

"...insert Monty Python joke here." Jack was trying to lighten up the mood with his usual quirk, but no words would describe their discovery. 

"What in the world could this be? Some sort of idol the villagers worshiped?" Rose asked, her voice could barely contain her shock. When Will described the deity, she was picturing like a tribal warrior or something. Not some rabbit humanoid…thing. 

"I'm not sure. There looks to be some sort of inscription on the stone at the bottom of its feet. Lower the light so I can have a look." He walked over to statue and knelt down to carefully remove the dust on the stone. 

However neither teen noticed a light glow coming from Jack's satchel. Nor did they notice the wrist guard move its way out of the bag. As Jack tried to read the inscription, the wrist guard began tumbling as it made its way to the statue. 

"What does it say, Jack?" The redhead asked. 

The white haired teen narrowed his eyes, trying to make sense of the lettering. “Give me a minute…” he was surprised that it was in English, he couldn’t tell how old it was but it does seem to be carved in deep by rock or something metallic. 

"To all ye who enter the throne of the rabbit god…thou must return from whence thou came, for this is the beast that shall bring forth ruin. If thou wish despair for pure youth and maiden alike, keep its armor incomplete and leave this cruel god as stone…and a piece of the armor missing.” After reading the inscription, Jack realized something.  
Piece of the armor…?

Oh dear Lord in Heaven…

"Then.....that wrist guard we got was...." Rose was cut off when they both heard the sound of metal scrapping stone and the teens looked up to see the wrist guard latched onto the rabbit statue's wrist.

"....FRACK!"

That was the first thing that Jack shouted out as he made the grab for the wrist guard; however it was clasped on tight on the statue’s wrist. The guard itself was beginning to glow brighter and brighter. A growl of frustration escaped his lips as he tried in vain to pry the wrist guard off of the statue. 

"Rose, get out of here!" God this sounds like a film...except there is a possibility that neither one of them will make it out alive.

"I'm not leaving you, Jack!" Rose shouted. Yeah, this is definitely a _SciFi_ …or is it _Chiller_? Forget it! Focus on the problem here!

"You don't have a choice! Go! I'll take care of this! Go!" he ordered, almost sounding desperate. The red-haired girl was saddened; looking reluctant to leave her friend like this but ran off. Jack couldn’t help but feel relief. At least he would die happy knowing that his friend will live another day.

As Jack tried to take off the wrist guard, the stone feet of the rabbit were beginning to break piece by piece to reveal bluish-grey fur. Slowly but surely, the stone body began to crack apart and form into the warm body, no longer petrified. A paw then grabbed Jack's wrists and raised him in the air and the rabbit deity gave a loud roar, causing the birds to fly about as a result. The teen winced at the sheer volume, having to hear it at close range. He could feel his ears pounding in protest; Jack was surprised that his ear drums haven’t been blown in pieces yet. He tried to keep himself calm as much as possible while the rabbit deity let out a huff of hot breath from his nose before blinking for a moment and looking around his throne room.

Or…what is left of it. 

"My throne room....my temple.....What happened?! Who would dare destroy my home?!" Jack flinched at the outrage that was evident in the rabbit’s voice; he felt the cold prick of fear when the latter turned his glaring green eyes to Jack's fearful blue ones. "Did you do this, boy?!" it was more of a demand than a question. He had to give out a straight answer if he wanted to get out of this with all limbs intact.  
"N-No! I didn't do anything! I'm a student for a mythology class. Your temple has been this way since you were imprisoned." Jack explained. Then he paused for a bit to think over what else to say. “And-and…this is 2013, the 21st century!”

"Imprisoned?” then he paused to think, as if trying to recall the events from long ago, very long ago. “Wait, yes. I remember now. Those foolish villagers dared to betray me and sent that bloody shaman to petrify me in stone. He stole my wrist guard to break the magic shield that would block his spell." He rubbed his chin as he remembers the past events, still holding Jack up. He tried not to wince when all feeling his wrist was becoming null, probably at the fact that his blood circulation was being cut-off by that strong grip of his. 

"Huh...magic...of course..." Jack laughed nervously, but inside he was practically screaming out words that would most likely have his guardian shove a bar of soap in his mouth. 

He had plenty of experience in horror films, and the Final Girl (almost) always get out alive because she's a virgin. Nothing said about Final Boy though...

But since this is reality, and the fact that he's a virgin...this God would most likely pick off his classmates and possibly banish them to the unforgiving wilderness of Australia where everything will kill you without a second thought or remorse.

Why didn't he get laid when he had the chance?!

The rabbit deity then seemed to stop thinking for a moment and instead turned his attention to the white-haired youth. He grew uncomfortable when the rabbit had a lustful and wicked smile form on his furry face. Jack gulped fearfully as the deity pulled him closer to his face. 

"Well, I suppose I should thank you for releasing me, boy. Now I'm free to finally pay back the village for betraying me and kill any descendants of that wanker shaman. But of course....." The rabbit stopped for a moment to sniff Jack's scent by his neck deeply and gave a pleasured moan before smirking. "All work and no play make this rabbit a dull god." 

"Please, you don't want me. I'm not even really a virgin. It's just a soap smell that makes it seem that way." Jack said with a nervous chuckle. 

Of course, he was up against a god. Throughout all his experience in class, gods have this uncanny ability to know whether or not that you’re lying. 

"Oh such an obvious liar…the very mark of a true virgin,” a dark chuckle escaped from his lips. “But you....you're not like all the others. No, you little boy.....You may very well be the worthy one I've been waiting for. Perhaps I shouldn't kill the shaman's descendants and the villagers. They actually did me a favor by preserving my body so that I could get to you…” he smiled at Jack before gently setting him down to the ground. “I'm Bunnymund, or as you'll soon be calling me your buck and father of our little warriors." 

The rabbit deity, now named Bunnymund, held the teen close to his chest.

Jack's eyes widen with shock at this, he didn't know what could be worse...the fact that he unintentionally gave the descendants of both the shaman and the villagers a signed death warrant or that he would carry on the spawn of mythology made reality. 

"L-look...appealing as it sounds, I think I would pass..." he reasoned as he tried to push him off. “And besides, I don't know if I'm ready for marriage or a family yet."

Bunnymund's green eyes narrowed sharply at this and he held Jack tighter, making him wince at the tight grip on his shoulders. Apparently he doesn’t take gentle rejection well.  
"Wrong answer, Snowflake…I've been waiting for an agonizingly long nine hundred years for you. Nine….hundred…YEARS…” then he bent down, their faces are mere inches of each other. “And I'm not about to let you get away. Besides, if you try and get away from me it'll just mean the descendants of the villagers are mine to kill. Now I know already that you're the bleeding heart type so you wouldn't want that to happen. In which case I suggest you get smart…" 

Bunnymund gave a lustful snort before moving his sharp teeth to Jack's neck, as if poised to bite him. 

The white haired teen shouted in shock and without a second thought he kneed the deity right where it hurts, thankful that said area wasn't armored. Bunnymund groaned in pain and let the youth go in favor of nursing his pained groin. A powerful deity of incredible power, brought down with a common element that can be exploited in defense. Who would have thought?  
Jack then took this chance to run like Hell, internally thanking to whatever omnipresent being above for him taking up interest of parkour. “I hope I could make it on time,” he whispered to himself as he made his way through the corridor. 

When he recovered, Bunnymund looked up and saw the teen running away from him. This angered the deity and he in turn ran after Jack. As the teen bolted down every corner he remembered taking to the throne room with Rose, he wondered if his friend made it to the others or if she got stuck somewhere. Jack prayed that neither happened as he could never forgive himself if it did. The teen was so engrossed by his thoughts that he didn't see the figure coming at him and slammed right into it. Jack landed flat on his rear and groaned painfully. 

"Jack! Are you okay?" A familiar voice asked him and Jack looked up to see the faces that he would never thought about be happy to see again. Jim, David, and Rose…looking over, he could see his entire class preparing to get off of the island. 

"G-guys…oh thank God, you're all okay. Look we have to get out of here now!" Jack exclaimed. This brought the attention of his classmates and their professor. 

"Jack, what's the matter?" Will asked, walking over to him. 

Luckily for him, Rose knew what he is talking about. 

"That war and fertility deity that demanded sacrifices are more than a legend, he's real! Jack and I picked up the piece of his armor that was stolen from the deity to keep him petrified and by the time we read the inscription by his feet when we found his statue we realized everything too late and the armor attached. He's back to life!" Rose exclaimed fearfully. 

Of course, like in any independent horror film, everyone seemed skeptical. Hell, some of them are already laughing, calling them crazy. 

"What? Rose, you can't be serious." David said with a chuckle. 

"Yeah…a crazy god has been in stone for nine hundred years. How could he be alive now?" Jim spoke up. 

"How about you ask me that, mate?" a deep Australian voice spoke up. Everyone turned and gasped at the sight of a six foot, angry looking and armored rabbit.

Jim looked up with eyes widen with horror. "Um...Run away like King Arthur and his Knights?" David looked over to him with disbelief. "Seriously, Jim!? Seriously?!? A Monty Python joke when we're all about to die?!" he questioned.

"Not on my watch!" Jack then held up his camera. "Say CHEESE!"

It went by fast; Bunnymund wasn't prepared for a bright flash of light from that strange box in his intended mate's hand...or a hard knock to the head from it.  
His head was reeling, but his sharp ears picked up someone shouting "head for the boat".

No…no, he can’t let him escape! He waited too long for his chosen mate only to lose him!

-  
"Everyone! Head for the boat!"

No one even hesitated when they heard their professor, actually stampeding over to their only transportation.

"Calm down! You'll tip it over!" Jack told them. This is bad...this is really bad.

Not only he brought forth the most feared and forgotten deity to the world of the 21st century, but also in a way, he screwed the entire world!

At the sound of heavy feet gaining on them, Jack turned to see the rabbit god get closer. He was growling and snorting and when he set his eyes on him, Jack could have sworn that the rabbit looked insane. He was so fear stricken that Jack didn't hear everyone calling out to him to get on the boat until Rose shook him. 

"Jack, come on! We have to get out of here!" She exclaimed and pulled him towards the boat with all the strength that the 90-pound girl could muster. Jack quickly followed suit and soon everyone was safely on board. 

"Mr. Gale, you better get this boat moving! That thing is getting closer!" One student exclaimed in worry, almost sounding like he was going to cry. 

"A’right, anklebiters, hang on!" Mr. Gale said and started up the boat but as he moved the gear stick it jammed. "Oh no, it won't go into gear!" He exclaimed in horror.

"Well, that's just great!" David exclaimed. "Next thing you know that there is no communications to the main land because we got low bars!"

"We got low bars!" one of them spoke up.

All David could do was facepalm himself.

Jack is not the type to give up, he really didn't want to be some rabbit's consort...nor did he want any possible descendant of the village be hurt.  
"Is there some sort of weapon on board?" he asked. "Anything?!"

The students started searching around for a weapon of some kind until a small silver whistle fell out that caught Jack's attention.  
"Huh? What's this?" Jack asked as he picked up the whistle. 

"I don't know…some silent whistle thing that Mr. Gale used to call out the animals during that nature shoot." David explained hurriedly as he kept searching. The younger teen smiled widely at hearing this news.  
"Dave, this is it! We have just what we need to make this beast back off." Jack spoke excitedly and everyone looked at him in surprise.  
"A whistle? Jack, I think the sudden terror is going to your head." Rose tried to reason with him, even if her voice shook. 

"No it isn't. Just watch." Jack grabbed onto the whistle tightly then looked straight at the rabbit God. "Hey, Bunny! You want me so bad!? Come and get me!" 

"Uh... Jackie?" he heard Jim spoke up behind him, he could feel him tapping on his shoulder. "That’s a god…whistles aren’t his kryptonite!"

Jack rolled his eyes at this. "Yes, I'm well aware of that...but he's also a RABBIT!"

Then he turned and stared straight at the deity before him.

"Here goes nothing..." he took a deep breath and placed his lips over the whistle and blow.

Just when they all thought that the beast was going to get near of the boat, the rabbit deity suddenly stopped at the sound of the whistle that only he could hear. They could see his ears twitched violently and he began shouting in pain, holding down his long ears close to his head as he curled in on himself into a fetal position. Bunny curled into a tighter ball, but that does nothing to block out the high-pitched noise that he could hear. 

_What is this infernal noise?! Make it stop…MAKE IT STOP!_

"Oh, I get it! Rabbits can hear ultra-sonic frequencies that humans can't." Rose spoke in realization. “Why haven’t I thought of that…?”  
"Boy, I never thought I'd be grateful to the whistle." Jim sighed with relief. “We’re all gonna live…”

Just then Mr. Gale managed to turn the boat into gear. "I got it! Hold on, everyone!" Without a second thought or hesitation, they all sped off in the boat. As soon as Jack made sure that they have a good distance, he stopped blowing, all out of breath. He breathed heavily, trying to calm down his breathing. He could feel his heart beat rapidly against his ribcage.  
"A rabbit deity of centuries of experience...and all it took was a whistle!"

"YEAH!" David cheered. "Fuckin' A!"

"Watch your language!" Will scolded him, but still relieved that none of his students were hurt.

Well everyone else was cheering about how lucky they were from their close call; Rose couldn't help but notice how Jack was looking really sad. She frowned with concern for him, something happened when between him and that god. And from the look of his face, he looked guilty. The girl went over to Jack and patted him comfortingly on the shoulder.  
"You okay, Jack?" Rose asked. 

He nodded as Jack looked over to her, with his trademark smile. "A bit shaken up, but yeah I'm fine." The smile seemed to be forced, but for his sake, she’ll let it slide for now.  
"Well, if you need anything you know I'm here. And so are the others." She assured him.

Jack nodded as his friend was practically almost tackle hugged by one of her girl-friends as they are practically sobbing on how lucky they were that they're still alive (and ready for their boyfriends).  
He laughed softly before his smile falling as he gazed back to the island.

Somehow...for some reason...he had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time he saw Bunnymund.  
-


	2. The Start of the Hunt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I will be doing this story justice on this site, hope you guys like it :)
> 
> And also Thunder Rolling Tom Cat refers to Zeus/Jupiter of Greco-Roman mythology, King of the Gods, Thunder God, and well known for sleeping with anything that moves.

The noise finally subsided, allowing Bunny to release his ears. As he does so, he noticed that the island was void of any sign of life, including his mate. 

There were no words to describe how furious the rabbit god was. His mate, his doe dared to defy him! He waited so long for Jack to come along and to start his family. But now he was gone. His worthy one was gone. 

Soon the anger turned into eagerness. This time it was different. For one thing, he wasn't petrified anymore, and the best part is that he could now pursue his mate. And if any descendants of the shaman stood in his way, then they'd better be prepared to sign their death warrants in blood.

"It's like that thunder-rolling tomcat say...the chase is always the best part..." he spoke, smirking to himself.

Bunny then tap the ground a few times until a large hole opens up near him before leaping in. He got the boy's scent, that part is important...now, all he had to do is to search the mainland.  
“Time to pay the old Outback a visit…”

-

Australian Hotel…

“OhgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohdearGoooooooooooooooooooooood!”

Jack was panicking, that if his constant pacing around in his hotel room that he shared with his bedmates was evident enough. Ever since they set their foot back in the hotel, he sprint-walked over to the elevator, almost broke the up button when he was pushing it rapidly to the point of punching it. He was so stressed that he barely remembered David commenting to a concerned receptionist that he ate bad fish or something to cover up the real reason why he was panicking. 

With them is their guide, Mr. Gale, who decided to keep Jack company with his friends while their professor reassure the rest of the class before they head back to their rooms.  
“Jack…Jack, calm down…you’re going make yourself bald at this rate,” Rose spoke soothingly, hoping to ease his stress. However, the other two, aren’t really helping.

At all…

“Your hair’s already white as it is! I can’t picture you bald!” 

Jack groaned as he buried his hands, plopping upon the hotel bed backwards. The red-haired girl glared at James before smacking him upside the head. 

“Is that really necessary, James?” she scolded, glaring at him as the latter rubbed his head gingerly. The said brunet gave her a look that clearly says “what”; as if he didn’t know what he had said was wrong. Rose rolled her eyes before turning to her friend, who was currently stressing over the situation right now. “Alright…let’s just calmly recap what had happened here…”  
And the dynamic duo struck once again. 

“Jack woke up a rabbit deity who has a serious hard-on, and basically screwed over the world.” 

Of course…it had to be David who supposed to say that.

“Literally!” Jim added, still smiling. 

…Wonderful…just wonderful…good to know to have friends like those two.

Jack had enough of this crap; he is done with the moping and having being pointed out that he single-handedly brought forth the Apocalypse. He sat up from the bed before turning to the two boys with a glare.  
“Look, it wasn’t my fault, alright?!” he exclaimed angrily. “And how was I supposed to know that the wrist guard was the exact armor piece that would wake him up?! It could be any armor piece!”  
The dirty blonde teen stared at him with an eyebrow raised before crossing his arms. “Ok, I’ll bite…who found it though?” despite some jest that he displayed with his partner in crime earlier, David looked AND sounded serious. Jim somehow mimicked his pose, but didn’t get his serious expression down as they both stare at Jack and Rose. 

Silence hung over the air as they stared back at them. After a moment, they looked at each other before looking back at the comedic duo as they both pointed at each other. 

One of them finally broke the silence and sighed heavily. “Oi…” Mr. Gale muttered, catching everyone’s attention. “Regardless, who actually found the bloody armor piece, the real problem is still on that island. And probably found a way to get to the mainland…”

Jack pinched the bridge of his nose, groaning audibly. “Don’t remind me…” even though there is little to no way of transporting off of the island, this is a god that they’re dealing with. Who knows what kind of methods that he would use?

Suddenly David smiled widely at them. “But look on the bright side!” he said.

Jack blinked at him before raising a fine silver eyebrow. “And that would be…” somehow he didn’t like where this is going. David IS known for his inappropriate jokes…but not THOSE kinds of jokes. Even he has standards…

Then to his surprise, Jack found himself being lifted up from the bed in a bridal style with the dirty-blond youth still smiling that damnable grin. 

“We can offer Snow White to the horny rabbit so that we can be spared!” 

Or not! 

But he was wrong before…

Just before Jack was about to punch the jock in the face, Rose beats him to it by kicking him in the shins. David let out a cry of pain, causing him to drop the latter back on the bed. “That is uncalled for, you idiot!” she scolded, glaring at him. 

Jack joined in on the blond youth’s punishment by standing up and smacked him hard upside the head. Just when David was about to protest, the sailing guide caught their attention by clapping his hands a few times. 

“Alright, blokes and Sheila…settle down,” he stared each one of them, having a look of a stern uncle. Surprisingly, Jim straightened up as the blond athlete wisely kept silent. Mr. Gale nodded in satisfaction before continuing to speak. “Now then, on to back to the important matters…there are not much written about this god, but I managed to research about him with a few books that were available at the library one time. From what I read, we have nothing to worry about. If he truly sees Jack here as his One…then we didn’t have to deal with upcoming casualties.”  
The white-haired boy took in the new information before looking at him in disbelief. 

“You WANT me to be the sacrifice!?” he exclaimed, feeling betrayed. How could he suggest such a thing?! Wasn’t he supposed to help?!?  
The older man shook his head, holding up his hands in defense. “No, no, no, it’s not like that!” he protested. “What I’m saying is that if this bloke found his One, there is a good chance that he would cease his demands in sacrifice and hopefully be slightly docile.”

A loud cough was heard as David raised his hand up, as if they were in a class discussion instead of strategizing. “Uh, Mr. Gale…sir? Not wanting to be a stick in the mud, but…keyword: SLIGHTLY.” He placed a strong emphasis on that particular word to get it across. 

Mr. Gale sent the younger a hard glare. “I’m getting’ to that, ya gumby!” he said. “It was also said that he came from a species that can only be relaxed by two things: a pregnant mate and pure ripe vanilla orchids.” He doesn’t seem surprised when Jack just stared at him. 

“So, we soothe him with vanilla-flavored ice cream?” it was a rather sarcastic comment. 

The older man just shrugged. “Sort of…but my point is that I don’t think that we need to worry about this god hurting anyone in the world. That includes you Jack.”  
“Right…anything else?”

“He can create magic tunnels that lead him anywhere in the world, and he shape-shifts.”

Rose raised an eyebrow at this, noticing something off. “Is that all?” she asked. “Are you sure about that is all you have researched on this guy? I mean, if he could do the magical tunnel thing…can he go through concrete as well?”

Mr. Gale only shrugged as he ran his hand through what is left of his hair. “I wish I knew, Sheila,” he admitted. “I’ll do what I can if I dig up more and emailed what I have over to your teacher. Till, then…you all get some rest. And pray to see tomorrow morning before you fly back to America.”

Each young college student gave him a nod, silently giving him thanks as he made his way to their hotel room door. Just as he was about to grasp the door knob, he paused midway before turning back to them, to Jack specifically.

“Oh, and couple more things, Jack…” he spoke up. “Keep that whistle with ya, no matter what. And also, this whole deity comin’ back to the world with a vengeance, for all you anklebiters know…it didn’t happen.” Both his old face and tone were serious, unlike his slightly jovial nature when Will first introduced them once they finally reached to Australia on Monday morning.  
Jack blinked a few times at this, but couldn’t help but wonder.

“Why? Does the entire continent seriously believed in the legend?” well, he did voice his thought out loud, but from the way the others look, they were thinking the same thing.  
“Actually, at least 99% are direct descendants from the rejected sacrifices. That includes the village that used to worship that bloody god. Spreading around the fact that the god is back will cause a panic.”  
This new revelation left them completely speechless, even Jim couldn’t come up anything for that. To think, almost the entire continent…to this day, share the same bloodline as the very people who sealed the rabbit deity. And they just unleash literal Hell on not only them but possibly the entire world as well.

There is one thing to describe this:

“Holy shit…”


	3. Stalking the Doe

Last chapter;

There is one thing to describe this:

“Holy shit…”  
-

Jack was supposed that he was lucky enough to remember to quickly pass on Mr. Gale’s warnings over to his fellow classmates, thinking that was better to be on the safe side so that no one would accidentally blurt out on what happened this afternoon. He didn’t want to think what would happen if there is an entire mass panic on the continent. Not to mention of the fact that this god he woke up not only travel through tunnels but also can shape-shift. 

“Jack, you have to eat something…this stress is not good for you,” he heard Rose urged behind him. He didn’t have to know that she was concern thanks to the reflection of the window. Ever since that talk, Jack couldn’t help but be paranoid, so he had to be cooped up by the window to roam over the city. Just making sure that his…stalker wouldn’t be there…  
Honestly, how is stalking mortals a turn-on for gods?!

A sigh escaped from his lips as he bopped his forehead against the window, feeling the coolness of the glass against his skin. It somehow felt refreshing. 

“I know…I know…just…give me a minute…” 

“You’ve been standing there for 30 minutes.” 

…Has he been standing there that long? Come to think of it, the sky has a pinkish-orange hue to it…and his stomach was growling…  
Damn, Rose and her motherly sense. 

Jack sighed before lifting himself off of the glass, turning to his friend who was staring at him with her hands on her hips. As if she was expecting that outcome, Jack didn’t see it but he was sure that she was smiling on the inside. 

“Fine, you win.” He admitted in defeat. 

The red-haired girl just smiled triumphantly but nevertheless placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. 

“Come on, I hear that there’s a restaurant with meat pies to die for…or if you like, fish and chips. Sky’s the limit.”

Jack smiled before following her out of their room, to join their friends. 

Maybe it was best to make most of this class vacation…and perhaps find out some way to clean up this mess he made later.

\--

Night descends upon Sydney city, although the night life is still bustling, a certain group of college students were resting up for tomorrow morning…to escape the continent before a certain pagan god would find them and obtain his sacrifice. 

Oblivious to the outside world as they take in comfort to their dreams…

However, little did one of them know that the concrete jungle isn’t enough to protect him, in fact it would be just down the street from their hotel.

A hole appeared in the middle of an alley, and lo and behold, the proud god leaped out of his hole. He took note of his surroundings before sniffed the air a bit, grimacing at the scent. The smell is unbearably foul; it smelled of a mixture of rotten eggs, smoke, and rubbish. The buildings are different from what he remembered back in the old days, instead of wood and reed; they stood tall and made of what resembled metal and clear crystal. Bunny noticed that the ground he stood on seemed to be made of stone. 

He wrinkled his nose in disgust as he ventured further a bit, but keeping to the shadows just in case. It was almost amazing how the sacrifices that he rejected adapted to the main land 900 years ago, he didn’t give much thought whether or not they would survive. But the air was crisper and fresher back then…now, it smelled almost decaying. 

“Tch, humans…” he scoffed, shaking his head. Then he caught a whiff of something familiar…and sweet.

Something that is a mixture of musk, forest, and something else…

Both his nose and whiskers twitched as satisfied smirk grew on his lips. He’s here…his doe was nearby. Bunny took a look around before finding the trail leading to a building, which might have been a fancy inn of this generation. A low whistle was heard as he took a look at it. No matter how seemingly weak humans are, they know how to use their skills in architecture.  
Enough about that, he needed to see his doe. 

-

It took a while for him to actually relax, since all that thoughts of what-if scenarios kept running through his head, which also include a couple trips to the bathroom due to the phantom sensation of the number one (much to Rose’s chagrin), Jack finally fell into a dreamless sleep. It was surprising that Rose managed to sleep through David and Jim’s snoring in their shared bed, but if she can do it…so can Jack.  
Besides, that god didn’t know where he is…

The room was silent, despite the combined sounds of snoring and soothing softness of breathing, but other than that it was peaceful.  
That is until a hole appeared in the red carpeted floor. 

Then out comes the rabbit god himself, silently landing upon all fours. His nose and whiskers were twitching as green eyes searched through the darkness before landing upon the familiar form of his doe…in bed with a female. 

Grimace marred his features as he softly snorted in annoyance. He had seen her with him on the island, even if it was just a mere glance. If this Sheila knew what is good for her, she would stay away from his doe. Fortunately for him, his precious doe was keeping a good distance from her upon the mattress as the red-haired woman slept on her side, her back facing him. Well, that is all that matters…what matters is his destined partner. 

Bunny stalked towards the sleeping form of the white-haired youth, like a panther waiting to strike. Bunny kept his ears hanging back, so that he wouldn’t attract any attention from the plane of crystal that adorned upon the wall, giving him access to the outside world. But as far as he could be concerned, he doesn’t really give a damn at the moment. 

What really matters at the moment is that he is now by his doe’s side. He could feel his future mate’s soft breath upon his whiskers as he crawled near him. Bunny barely contained a purr as he gazed at the sleeping fair face of the boy. 

He is just right there…sleeping in front of him. How easy it could have been to just snatch him up in the dead of night, bringing him to his home- _their_ home…

But he is a patient god. It would be no fun if he were to cut their upcoming chase short. Besides, he hasn’t gotten his name yet…

…Perhaps he should have asked for his name before asking if he could accept him as his buck. Oh, well, it was never too late to get started. Then something caught his eye on the bedside drawer that separated the two beds. It was a small slip of paper, although it seemed insignificant at first. That is until Bunny noticed something upon it.  
He reached over to examine it further, most of it bore him, but there are a few that stuck out to him. 

America…

…and Jack Frost…

…Jack Frost…a perfect name for his beautiful doe.

Bunny felt a smile stretching his lips at this newfound information. He finally found his doe’s name. Not only that, his home is located in the New World.  
Now all that is left…is the courtship. 

“I guess we have to save that for another time, love…” he spoke softly to him, though he is fully aware that he was deep asleep. “But don’t worry…you and I will be together soon…”

With that spoken, Bunny couldn’t help but lean in and gently placed his lips over Jack’s, relishing the soft texture of the unknowing mortal.

\--

Next morning…

“Um…guys? Was that flower always there?”

The quadrats stared at a flower of unknown species that just greeted them as soon as they awoke, innocently peering up to them with its beautiful white petals.  
Jack blinked as he tried to make sense of this. “…I know for the fact that the building is made of concrete and metal. There is no way that it can be able to bloom here.”  
Jim stared at the flower before looking over to him. “Unless of course…it’s…You-Know-Who…” he was making some effort to make his voice sound ominous, but overall, he seemed to be as bewildered as the rest of them. 

That is until David brought this up.

“…He was here last night.” 

Silence hung in the air for a moment as Jack let that information sink into his brain. 

The god, that he unleashed 24 hours ago, was here…last. NIGHT.

“David, I swear, if you make one Twilight joke, I will kill you in the face.” 

The latter made a zipping motion over his lips, since Jack is the type to keep his promise and see to it that it follows through. 

This is a fine way to start the last day in the Outback…  
\--


	4. Nowhere to Run

A pair of long ears twitched at the warm rays of the Sun shining upon the lax body, prompting the rabbit god to arouse from his sleep. He yawned as he stretched out his limbs, his mouth revealing a set of rather sharp teeth before taking a look at his home with pride. 

The Warren…

An oasis-like land that stretches in lush green far and wide, filled with flowers that seemed to be a hybrid of tulip and daisy. There were ancient statues that resembled large eggs and were almost covered in moss like green velvet. Light ink petals fell softly from the ebony trees as the sounds of running streams were heard nearby. 

Yes…this is an ideal place to raise a family with his future doe. 

But time is of the essence, he must go up to the surface to check on him.

-

Meanwhile everyone in their respective shared hotel room was scrambling to pack up. They didn't want to stay in Australia not with that crazy rabbit hopping along any more than they had to. It was even harder to try to keep it casual and civilized in case house-keeping staff comes knocking at their door  
"This sure is some way to end a field trip!" David commented, as he shoved most of his precious possessions into the poor suitcase, forcing it down before zipping up the contents. It had the appearance that it might burst at the seam at any given moment. 

"You're telling me!” Jim spoke up as he secured his luggage. “But the sooner we get out of the country, the faster we'll be gone from that thing." His hair was still wet from the quick shower he had, he probably left a wash cloth in the bathroom but it would be a suitable loss considering their current situation…if anything it wasn’t worth it.  
"But Mr. Gale, what if the Australian government finds out what happened?" Rose asked. Despite looking calm, she looked like she was going to break down any minute. Fear was clear in her brown eyes as she stared up at the older man. 

The old man couldn’t help but pity the tourists, mostly on that Frost boy. What a regrettable predicament that he had to deal with. But nevertheless, he wasn’t the type to give up on the lot.

"Just relax, ankle bitters. This is not a problem as long as none of you lose it through customs." Mr. Gale remarked, keeping a cool head. Though it was rather hard to keep up long enough thanks to the tension amongst them… 

"Speaking of lost, I think I left my whistle in one of our shared rooms." Jack patted around the pockets of both his hoodie and his jeans. Saying that out loud brought on the attention of the group towards him in shock. 

"You…you WHAT?!” Rose was the first one to shriek, making the men around her wince at the sheer volume of her voice. “Frost, that thing is the only bit of protection that stands between you and giving birth to a dozen bouncing baby bunnies." 

As soon as the words left her mouth, Jack could have sworn that he could taste last night’s dinner in his mouth for a second there. Why would she say that and have him imagine THAT? What is even worse, a certain someone was able to take the words right out of his mouth.

“Sweet Lord, no!” Jim wailed dramatically as he covered his eyes. “I had enough imagery of Jack getting it on with a rabbit…the last thing I want is to have the image of their mutant babies that have the potential to rip off your face!”

In a way he won’t suffer alone, there is no chance that he might have a good night sleep afterwards, but he can’t worry about that now. 

"I know, I know, I just forget to grab it again after I took a shower,” the white haired teen reassured them. “I’ll be back…you’ll see.”

_And maybe find some way to get the image of making babies with that delusional god out of my head..._

As soon as he left, David looked over to his friends ominously. "And then we never saw him again..."

Silence hung over the small group as they all turned their attention to him. After a while, one of them finally responded to his small quip. The response to that is quite simple, but yet at the same time universal.  
Rose rolled her eyes before smacking him upside the head, hard this time.

"Ow! What?!" All he received is a really hard glare that is enough to form into a knife and stab him where he stood before the smaller girl.

"This isn't the time to joke, Dave!" she scolded. "Jack's in real danger here! And that includes the world!"

"Oh, come on! You can't blame me! I joke when I'm nervous to the point of pissing my pants!" Then he paused for a moment to gesture to his pants. “To which case, I am almost there right now.”  
"Well if Jack doesn't find that whistle, he'll be losing his pants for a different reason." The old man reminded them. 

David and Jim both stared at him blankly for a good long moment (at least 60 seconds by Rose’s count) before wailing in horror. 

“Oh DEAR GOD WHY?!”

\---

Same time…

“Damn it…where is it?!”

Jack was in the master bathroom, still in the middle of searching for his silent whistle. If that rabbit (the closest thing to describe him) truly could travel through the planet then he'd need that whistle more than anything. 

“It should be here somewhere…” he muttered to himself before moving to the bedroom. 

However Jack failed to notice a forming hole in the room behind him as he searched for the whistle. Long ears popped out of the hole followed by a whole sleek body coming out. Bunnymund looked around the room and saw his doe searching in another room for something. And best of all he was totally unsuspecting thanks to his back turned on him.  
A grin split his face as he crawled behind him. This is too good to pass up…

"Gah, where is it?" Jack looked through the drawers, hoping that it would be in either one. When he opened the second one, he smiled when he noticed that the whistle was there, next to the hotel bible. Kinda ironic actually, this is beginning to feel like a _Supernatural_ episode...

"Alright, now I'm all set and I'm outta here!"

"Ya think so, Snowflake?"

Jack instantly freezes when he heard the familiar voice...no it can't be…

Then he turned around and saw none other than Bunnymund, here. With him…all alone.

“…Shiny,” just when he was about to place the whistle to his lips, the pagan god was quicker; grabbing his only protective charm before tossing it out of the room, leaving Jack defenseless. He inwardly cursed as Jack hastily started to back away from the large rabbit and unable to shake off the cold-piercing fear as he was eyed like a chunk of meat displayed upon the butcher’s shop. But he stood his ground, trying to look tough as he sent the god a crystal blue glare. 

"Alright…where did you come from and how’d you know I was here?" Jack questioned, trying to keep his voice steady as much as possible. 

The rabbit-like god just smirked as he sauntered over to him predatorily. "I followed your scent, love. When a buck has his doe's scent, he never forgets it,” Bunny stated. He then extends his paw- or is it hand?- out to him, reminding him of one scene about the Phantom in the opera house. 

“I’ve come to take you home.”

Of course…back to that damned island. But he can stall, long enough to see if that certain trope would happen. 

"Look...I'm flattered, really, but seriously! This is too far, even in this day and age!" Jack stated, trying to reason with him. If this is like on TV, there should be a big damn hero moment happening right about now. He backed up as the rabbit god stalked towards him, tripping backwards when he hit the bed. Unfortunately it gave Bunnymund the opportunity to grasp his hands over his head.  
...This is a rather awkward position. But he was too scared to take note of it.

"You're not getting’ away from me that easily, Snowflake.” Bunnymund growled threateningly, baring his fangs. Jack gulped as he tried to back away from the sharp-looking teeth, just mere inches away from his face. He had never seen rabbit’s teeth up close before, only could see the front buckteeth. As quick as he revealed his aggressiveness, he finally calmed down as the deity’s face soften, he could almost see affection within his deep green eyes. 

“I'm not going to be deprived of my happiness,” he spoke, his voice is now soft and soothing. “If I had to, I will command your love and make it all my own...." 

Jack could only lie there stunned when he spoke those words, he had to admit, he would find it rather sweet, given to the circumstances such as this one, it would be rather…psychotic for a better lack of term. After saying this statement, Bunnymund then knelt down to kiss his doe, the sensation of whiskers upon his cheeks have taken him out of his minor shell-shocked moment and realized what he was about to do. 

"Ah, wait! Please, stop!" Jack struggled to slip his hands out of the pagan god’s hold but it was no use. His grip was too strong, and he placed all his weight down on him so that he wouldn’t kick out his legs.  
Well, this is another thing added to his list, not only he screwed over the world and made himself this god’s number one target, but he would also have his first kiss with the said god. Already the possibility of being slugged over the shoulder and be spirited away to God knows where…he still didn’t want THAT possibility to follow as well. This isn’t how his life supposed to go…

Suddenly though, just as the fuzzy lips reached his, the rabbit god made a sharp gasp and leaped off of Jack as if he was on fire before shouting as he grasped onto his ears, trying to cover them from some unheard noise that cannot be heard by humans. Jack looked up and saw Mr. Gale blowing the whistle that was thrown away. Jack could almost see red upon his aged cheeks.  
"Mr. Gale!" he exclaimed. No words could describe on how happy Jack was to see the older man's face. 

A familiar redhead popped out behind him and ushered Jack over to herside as the boating man blew the whistle as long as he could, his face was turning from red to purple. Jack didn't hesitate for a second and leapt out of the bed before following Rose out. "Am I glad to see you two," he spoke to her.

"Gratitude later, leaving now!"

"Right..."

Seeing the two youngsters hurrying out gave Mr. Gale the signal to leave the room as well, hopefully far away from the dreaded god as much as possible. As they head for the stairway, the old man grinned at Jack while holding up the whistle. 

“Lesson learned, always keep a spare!” he spoke, grinning.

Jack could not help but laugh in relief as he practically made a leap off of a few steps. 

\--

Bunnymund shook his head once the loud painful noise stopped. 

“That could have gone a lot better…” he groaned, standing back up on his two large feet. When he saw that his doe was gone, a growl escaped from his lips. How dare those humans take his mate!?  
The god wanted to go out of the room and chase them, but that would be too risky even for him. He couldn't afford to have the descendants of the villages alerted to his presence. If they did, then they'd try to make contact for the shaman's descendant and he hadn't been able to kill him yet. So that left Bunnymund only one option. 

"Time for a lil' vacation abroad..." With that said, a grin split his face and tapped his foot a few times to summon a hole. A gaping hole appeared near his feet and Bunnymund quickly leapt inside as he quickly ran through his tunnel network. 

_This is going to be so much fun._


	5. Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize beforehand for the shortness of the chapter, but the next one will be longer. Hopefully.

_He's not going to find me_

_He's not going to find me_

_He's not going to find me_

_He’s not going to find me_

_He’s not going to find me…_

That is the same phrase that is playing over and over in his head as Jack bounces his knee up and down as he watched the clouds go by. It was only at least 15 or so minutes since they have taken off, but he couldn't help but feel paranoid.

The fact that Bunnymund got his scene was bad enough but the possibility that he memorized how he smelled would mean that he could know where he is.  
And that alone set him on edge. 

Plus, he figured that having a repetition would help…though there might be a chance that Jack might follow the path of a certain whiny kid who pilots a giant robot. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

…Right?

_He's not going to find me_

_He's not going to find me_

_He's not going to find me_

_He’s not going to find me_

_He’s not going to find me_

_He’s going to find me, he’s going to find me, he’s going to find me, he’s going to-_

"Jack? Jack…" he heard Rose hissed to him. "Calm down, will ya? You're making the steward people nervous."

The white-haired teen tore his attention away from the window and glared at her. "I can't help it. Any moment that six foot furry creep with long ears could come after me," Jack pointed out. Then he looked out of the window again. “Maybe any second…”

He kept a close eye on the wing beside him, as if that certain god will magically appear on it. Just like in that one film about a gremlin or something…

"Well it's not like he can fly up here." The redhead commented. “He’s not part Kryptonian.” The image of the said god flying like a certain superhero seemed a bit ridiculous, though there is Zod. Ooh, that is definitely not a good scenario. 

"We don't know that! For all we know, he could have some air spirit giving him a lift!" he exclaimed, slamming his fist down the elbow rest. “Or worse, HIM sprouting wings!” Oh, dear God, what if he can sprout wings?! He’s screwed, SCREWED, I TELL YOU. Just as Jack could rant even more- and louder- Rose quickly clamped her hand tightly over his mouth, effectively silencing him.

"Shush up! Do you want a possible descendant to hear you!?” She whispered harshly at him, placing a finger to her lips. “Remember what Mr. Gale said: we won't have a problem as long as we play it cool."  
Jack inhaled and exhaled, calming his nerves a bit. He supposed that she had a point, not to mention that he was gaining attention of the passengers. Already, they must have thought that he is some sort of nutcase on the plane that is close to a nervous breakdown.

Well…they are right about that the last part.

"Alright...alright I'm cool..." he spoke, feeling at ease. A bit. Sorta. But it wouldn’t hurt to think positive things…yeah, like happy thoughts from Peter Pan. 

"Besides, he could be miles away from our turf. How bad could it be?"

-

Meanwhile in the small town of Burgess...a large hole appeared in the alleyway, and out comes Bunny, sniffing around a bit before grimacing in slight disgust.

"It was a bit better than the last one," he spoke before scowling to himself. “It's the same wherever I go…”

The deity despised the unclean smell of today’s world, no thanks to the industrialization in this day and age. It was rather unnatural and…annoying. But everything will be worth it. Everything he does was dedicated to be with his doe. Bunnymund then leaped high into the air and started leaping from rooftop to rooftop to locate a forest, if there is one that is still standing. It irked him to no end on how callous those humans can be in order to expand their lands. While there is a handful, but there some cities where the air is so thick with smoke, Bunny was unable to breathe. 

Perhaps it was a good thing that he finally pinpointed where his doe lived only by smell. Still smell like the others, but the smell of nature is enough to make up for it. 

He'd need to set up a burrow for him and Jack to nest in. Soon enough the rabbit god found a perfect, large wooded area. Before it was rather peculiar, a lake whose water was solid, despite the warm weather. But what right does he have to judge? For all Bunnymund knew, it could be the actions of some nature spirit that is still surviving in this current era. Immediately he went inside the woods and looked around before nodding in satisfaction. 

"Yes, this'll do nicely. I'll make a nice large burrow for my doe and I. Then it's back to settle in the warren." Bunnymund grinned before getting to work on the spare burrow.

He had to admit, being sealed up by that bloody shaman might be a blessing in disguise. Compared to the failed "sacrifices" back in the day, this one is a keeper; lovely but a bit of a spitfire. A bit ironic considering his pet name that he has for him (he has experience of snow seasons back in the day). This could be his sixth sense talking, but Bunny could sense some sort of strength that he had never come across before.

Oh, he would enjoy courting him.

But first things first, he had to create the burrow as a temporary abode to rest up.

As he worked, Bunnymund couldn't help but smile in eagerness. 

"It won't be long until you're in my arms again. Just you wait." 

\---

Miles away up in the plane, Jack shivered. 

"You okay, Jack?" Rose asked. 

"No....I just had an awful feeling. Like I'm coming out of the frying pan just to get in the fire…" Jack returned his attention back to the cloud scenery before him.

He couldn’t be more right…


	6. Into the Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack is just another college student on a field trip in Australia, studying the recently discovered temple of a lost god. However, he would soon learn that not everything is all myths...

Centuries ago…

The mixed sounds of grunts and moans fill the air as the headboard rattled against the rose-pink marble, the result of the rabbit-like god thrusting in and out of a certain goddess of love. She was on all fours upon the mattress, bucking her hips backwards to meet with Bunnymund’s, as if trying to make him penetrate into her hard as much as possible. His clawed furry paws gripped tighter upon her hips as the familiar smell of musk and that sickeningly sweet incense that she liked to burn fill his sensitive nostrils. A low growl escaped from his throat, pounding harder into Aphrodite’s anus.

“Ahh…ahhhh, yes! Right there! More, more!” she cried out in pleasure, gripping the silk sheets to the point that her knuckles are white. 

Bunnymund internally rolled his eyes and focused on the task at hand before complying to her demands. 

He felt the familiar heat coil in his stomach when the walls clamped around his member tighter and tighter. They are about to cum soon; finally…it felt like hours since he had taken up her offer to “relax” more in her manor a few minutes back. It didn’t take long for him to let her pull him down to the mattress, quick to respond to her empty kisses and caresses upon his fur. There was some sort of party in Mount Olympus to celebrating something, he had no idea, and anyone that is anyone is invited, including him. 

He vaguely remembered Anansi chatting up with Hermes one time…but hey, a party is a party. It has some benefits…sort of.

Bunnymund thrust into Aphrodite one last time, and white flashed before his eyes as they both cry out in ecstasy. They both fell to the mattress in exhaustion, feeling high from their climax as they both breathe heavily. Gathering as much strength as he could, Bunnymund pulled himself out of the blonde goddess, earning a satisfied moan. Convinced that he tired her out with that romp, he then swing his large feet over the bed and was about to see himself out the door. 

“Leaving so soon, Bunny-Boo?” came a soft purr, he vaguely registered her perfectly manicured nail stroking his back fur. 

Bunnymund looked over to see the Goddess of Love lying on her side in a rather seductive manner; her flimsy gown was soaked with sweat and was now sticking to her curvy body. The fabric became thin and translucent enough to reveal her supple breasts. Any immortal alive would be more than happy to stay with her for another round or two. 

Him, on the other hand…well, let’s just say that he is a special case since a certain black smith evacuated the premises of this mountain some centuries ago. A sigh escaped through his nostrils as he looked away. “I’m just gonna head out for air, dat’s all,” he told her. Actually, it was an excuse for him to leave the manor as soon as possible. Something about this place is sickeningly sweet to him, and it was not the incense or the perfume. 

A soft whine was heard behind him as bed sheets rustled by movement. 

“Oh…but I wanna have some more fun~” Aphrodite cooed, maneuvering her slender leg to playfully poke the giant rabbit in the back with her toes to gain his attention. 

Bunnymund decided to throw her a bone and looked over to the blonde goddess who smiled teasingly at him. Just in time for her to spread her legs to lift up her slit skirt to reveal the bare undercarriage that was soaked from their climax together. His sensitive nose picked up the scent of arousal from where he is sitting, and something sweet…like a combination of too much perfume and honey. Something that he heard about…

“My front really needed that treatment from that thing that your kind is well known for…” she then slipped two fingers into herself, letting out a pleasured moan when her own digits are inside that warm cavern. “Ahhhnn…just think how it would feel inside of here compared to the backdoor…”

It usually works whenever a man, god or otherwise, said that he has enough (Ares is the most successful), but the rabbit just stared at her blankly before, to her surprise, turning away.

“I have to go,” he gruffly spoke as Bunnymund stood up. 

Aphrodite stopped in midway of her masturbation and stared at him in shock. Soon shock was replaced by anger as she glared up at him. 

“You DARE to refuse me, the Goddess of Love and Beauty!?” she shrieked, pulling her fingers out to point at him in accusation. 

The rabbit-like deity looked over to her, having a smug expression on his face. 

“As a matter of fact, yes…yes I did.” He smirked at her. “I heard that you got dumped the first time about a few years or so back, and I can see why. It was great and all, but I have better things to do. Later, ya sex starved dingo.”

With a couple of taps upon the marble floor, a hole appeared before him.

The blonde goddess snarled at him as she was about to crawl over to him, that is if she can reach him when her legs are like jellyfish. 

“Come back here!” 

Just when she was about to grab him, Bunnymund already hopped down into the hole and was quickly sealed up, leaving behind an odd yet beautiful flower in its place.

Aphrodite glared down at the flower before letting out a tantrum and throwing one of her pillows to the floor in frustration. 

_Damn that rabbit to Tartarus and back!_

\--

Present Time

San Francisco...

There is something magical about that place, other than the fact it was one of the top tourist destinations. It's kind of like the real life version of a fantasy kitchen sink in a way, and also a commonplace for films to feature.  
There is this joke running around that there is an eventual Kaiju attack since Pacific Rim but that is another story all together.

Right now, he has a bigger problem at hand to deal with.

Giant monsters from another dimension...he can handle it.

Earth eventually an intergalatic melting pot of all species in the universe...yeah, that's possible, Star Trek and Doctor Who showed him that.

But a pagan god that can be ANYWHERE in the world...wanting to knock him up

...that...takes time.

"Get IN THERE, you gorram piece of..."

William shot his head up in shock from a book that he is reading.

"Jackson Overland Frost, your tongue!"

It took a while to get back to the US, (at least 14 hours tops) and they all deserve some rest...they each got an email from Will saying that they are going to have a couple weeks off from school, kinda like a mini-vacation. It doesn't take a genius to know that somehow he pulled some strings to get the Dean to agree...

Despite the fact that no one on campus has ever seen the guy's face, but we digress. 

"Dude, that had to be the shortest field trip in college history." One student commented. “It’s almost sad, if you think about it…”

"You're telling me. I barely got any good photo shots." Another student responded, staring rather sadly at his camera. There are also sounds of agreement from others who went along the trip. One of them even complained that he didn’t get to find out where they have kangaroo scrotum leather pouches. 

Wait…what?

"We barely escaped from a mythological God come to life and you're disappointed over pictures?" David asked in surprise. The audacity of these people…those things are trivial compared to what Jack is going through! 

"What? I have a scrapbook to fill!" The boy stated defensively.

"How about the fact that the said God is after me?!" The white-haired teen questioned, peeking his head out of the dorm room that was open. “Come on, people, show me some sympathy or humanity!” Then he ducked his head back to make some double checking on his belongings. 

Rose nodded as she leaned against the wall. "He has a point..."

William, or Tall Will as everyone called him, stared between them as he sat on his computer chair. It’s a known fact to their circle, but since their professor’s name is also William, they had to call him Tall Will, not only because of his tall stature, but surprisingly, have two younger brothers who are named William as well for some odd reason. And they’re each named after their father who is also named William. They have asked why at the start of the freshman year, but he didn’t know much himself. Sometimes in life, questions often lead to more questions. Jack was rather lucky that he have a roommate like him. Given to the circle of friends he has associated with, Tall Will is the second anchor to reality next to Rose. He was rather used to the antics and quirks they have, but Tall Will could not help but accept them. 

He just got the explanation from yesterday and he is STILL processing right now. But at least he got a souvenir from Jack had bought him after they landed in Australia. He didn't know what the wallet is made out of...

"And...GOT IT!" Jack cheered in victory as before zipping up his bag.

Tall Will took this as a sign of completion. "Now all that is settled...ready to head back to Burgess?"

Jack nodded as he lifted the bag over his shoulder. "You bet. After all that I've been through, I just want to snuggle up in my bed." _And forget what happened…_ he mentally added.  
"Well before you get into your PJs just make sure you have that whistle." David said.

Jack smirked, looking a bit of his old self already, as he held up the said whistle that is attached to a ball-chain.

"Already on it..." He reassured him while placing it around his neck with one hand before turning to Tall Will with a smile. "Take my bags, Tall William, allonsy!"

Tall Will glared at him as he took his own duffel bag. "Take your own bags, Frost..." then he paused in his steps. "The 11th is better."

Jack stuck his tongue out at Tall Will and grabbed his bags and heading out of the dorm. 

The bus from the college to Burgess was waiting for all students to climb on board and Jack wasted no time getting onto the large transportation vehicle. But little did he know that as he went home he'd be getting out of the frying pan just to fell straight into the inferno.

\--

Bunnymund was actually proud at the result of the backup burrow that he made, it took a good while but it was worth it. 

He tested out the nest that he finished up, taking note that he should add a bit more grass and hay to balance out the softened dirty and it would be ace. The image of him and Jack, sleeping together in a nest like this…that gave him delicious chills down his spine as he was filled with anticipation. 

Just a few more fix ups, and then he would locate where his doe was specifically. 

And then…that is when the real fun starts.

“We’ll be together soon…just you wait.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aphrodite - Goddess of Love, Beauty, and one of many fertility deities. Ironically, she's known to sleep around, resulting the divorce with Hephaestus. There is a possibility that she might tried both genders since, they're gods. Sexual preferences is back of their minds. Personally I prefer the Disney interpretation of Aphrodite, while have a personality of a valley girl, she's snarky and quite responsible with her powers. Plus, she has a steady relationship with Hephaestus. Her personality is inspired by CultOfStrawberry on fanfiction.net but most of her story will be part of her published book. 
> 
> Anansi - a West African trickster god that took form of a spider yet acts like a human. In a way, might be the first Spider-Man before Stan Lee invented Spider-Man.


	7. No Place like Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack Frost is just another college student on a field trip in Australia, studying the recently discovered temple of a lost god. However, he would soon learn that not everything is all myths and legends. Will he be able to keep one step ahead of the newly awaken god and find a solution, or let the world suffer for his mistake?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was official...Ostara was taken down by ff.net...joy.

Darkness...that was the first thing that he noticed…

He was walking to somewhere, despite not knowing where or why, but he was sure that he needed to keep on moving.

If he does...then he heard something behind him.

That is when he started to move his pace.

Whatever is behind him copied him as well.

He didn't know when but he instantly broke into a run, hoping to find some source of light in this tunnel scenario.

That is when he heard that familiar dark laugh.

"You're not gettin' anywhere, Doe..." then he felt strong arms around him. He didn't need to touch the limbs in order to feel the texture. Or the familiar tickle of whiskers.

"After all...you're mine."

Jack gasped as he woke up, and the first thing that he saw was that the bus is nearing its stop.

Burgess.

The sun was about to set, tinting the sky with orange beyond the horizon of the town if you look at the right angle. The white haired teen sighed in relief. It was just a dream, thank heavens. He thought for a moment that rabbit really had him. 

But the dream....it seemed so real that it felt like he did have Jack.

Jack shook his head before wiping his face to check any saliva residue, which thankfully he had none. He gathered his things before checking his seat to see if any have fallen out. Thankfully, there were none, Jack looked up to see Tall Will making his way over to him.

"Ya had a good nap?" he asked, but he could tell from his tone that he was worried for him. Result of his big brother instinct to look after anyone younger than himself. That includes Jack, since they grew up here.  
"Yeah, I sure did." Jack said with a bit of a forced smile. 

It wasn't a total lie, but he didn't dare tell Tall Will about the small nightmare he had. It would make him worry more. "Well, that's good. After that 'incident' you deserve a little rest." Tall Will spoke. He doesn’t seem to believe him but somehow allowed that one to slide. 

Jack nodded as he made a quick check of his iPhone, seeing the latest message from his mother.

 **We'll be on our way; your sister is excited to see you again! :D**

He smiled at the mention of his sister...his sweet little Cora. 

"Looks like I'm going to have a ride," then he looked up to Tall Will. "You need one?"

The brunet shook his head as he smiled.

"Don't worry, I got that covered. Just focus on resting up." he responded, gently refusing the offer.

"Yeah....rest. That's just what I need." Jack said, silently adding "If I can get it".

Both Jack and Tall Will went their separate ways as the white-haired teen head over to the pick-up lot, scanning the cars before spotting the familiar mini cooper countryman, with his mother at the wheel and his kid sister sitting shotgun.

A genuine smile grew on his face as he headed over to them.

It’s like Dorothy said, there is no place like home.

\--

“I’m really surprised that you have two weeks off, sweetie,” his mother spoke as they drove. “I thought you and your class will be in Australia for a week.”

Jack shrugged as he watched the familiar scenery of his hometown pass-by. “Well…something happened, and we have to leave as soon as possible,” he responded, not giving out the whole details as much as possible. If anything else, he already got back-up prepared during packing at the dorms.

“You’re not in trouble as usual, are you?” there was a familiar stern, scolding tone in her voice. Specifically reserved whenever Jack is in his usual mischief, however in this case…it’s just the garden-variety kind.  
“No, no, nothing like that…it’s just that someone caught a stomach flu and we had to make a quick booking for a fly back home, just in case it got worse.”  
His mother let out a hum as she processed on what he said. While he loved to play pranks (that are mostly harmless), there are certain lines that cannot be crossed…and he is not stupid enough to make his mom mad at him. He should know, Jack learned from experience. She has an uncanny ability to tell which ones that came out of his mouth are complete bullshit or not.  
Just how would she react when he say this: “Oh, it’s nothing special, I just happen to break the curse that set a god that looks like an overgrown rabbit -kangaroo?-free from his stony prison and was currently loose somewhere in the world looking for me so we can make mutant babies together by supernatural means.”

There is no way she could believe him. So, he had to come up with possible scenarios that are good enough excuse.

Their tour guide, Mr. Gale, is feeling ill…

Bad weather…

Sudden attack by overgrown spiders…

But something as simple as a human ailment is the most likely thing to happen. 

Jack held his breath as he felt his mother’s eyes trained on him as they wait at the traffic light. After a while, she spoke up.

“Well, I guess there is no way of helping it…” she said, shrugging. 

Then his sister chose this time to look over to him from her front seat. “Did you bring any souvenirs?” she asked, sounding excited. 

The white-haired teen shook his head. “Sorry, Cory, I wasn’t able to take a look at them, don’t know which one you would like.” Cora let out a disappointed groan as she pouted. Jack frowned, feeling remorseful of saying that. 

But he knew one thing that would cheer her up.

“However, I could show you the pictures I took on my trip. That place is amazing!”

That instantly perked her right back up. “Really?” she asked, her dark brown eyes sparkling with anticipation. 

Jack beamed back at her as he nodded. “Sure, do! I’ll show them to you when we get settled at home.”

“I can’t wait!”

\--

“Is Dad home by any chance?” 

It was the first question that he asked as soon as they walk up to their house. Jack sighed softly as he stared at the two story house that he grew up in. It was only a few months, but it felt like forever since he has been here. He readjusted the sling of his duffel bag before following his mother and sister to the porch. Jack couldn’t help but smile as his little sister hop-skipped upon the few steps before making a final jump near the front door. 

“He is, actually,” his Mother replied as she fished out the keys to unlock the door. “Got swamped with some paperwork since a few days ago, so don’t be surprised if you find him in his office.”  
Jack chuckled at the image of his Dad sleeping on his work desk as they all went inside. Whoever thought that being a social worker is hard these days? Last time he had to deal with some lady who ran a shoe shop, something about actually taking care of at least eight or sixteen children. Most people get stressed by the sheer amount of work, even developed ulcers. Sometimes they would just quit when it became too much for them. But not his Dad, oh no…

Sure there were times when he gets stressed, like normal people do. Even on really TOUGH cases, but he takes it in stride and surprisingly find enough spending time with him and his family.  
He remembered one time - back when he has baby teeth- he asked him if this type of job is worth it. His Dad’s response: A smile and a warm, hearty pat upon his head, before saying that this type of job is mundane compared to the last one he had before he married his mom. And he couldn’t trade it for the world. 

Considering the fact that he was a kid back then, he didn’t know what that means. But as he grew older, whatever job he had in the past must be really hard compared to now.  
Jack instinctively head upstairs and walked across the hallway to find the familiar doorway to a certain room where his Dad was holed up. He politely knocked upon the wooden door, to see if there is a response.  
“Dad?” he softly spoke. 

There was silence…that is if you can’t the tell-tale sound of snoring. 

Smiling to himself, Jack gently turned the knob and peeked inside. 

There he was, just as his Mother has said. Leaning over his laptop, with what looked like towering piles of documents that surround him- looking like that they were about to fall, there were some that scattered around the table that served as a desk. Jack have to hold back his laugh when he noticed a small post-it note that seemed to have “flying ocelots” written on it.  
That is Dad…never giving up on his assignment and somehow fall asleep somewhere in the middle or near completion. 

“Hey, Dad,” he whispered out before softly closed the door behind him. 

He made his way to his bedroom and smiled at the sight of his room. It was the same as the last time he was here. From the posters to the knick-knacks, Jack head inside and set his duffel bag down before crashing upon his bed, sighing in content as he nuzzled against the familiar softness of the pillow. 

Maybe he might be able to relax...

After all, what could go wrong?

\--

Little did Jack know, that not even two miles outside of Burgess, things were about to go very wrong. For not only was Bunnymund in his hometown but he was just putting the finishing touches on his plan to catch Jack. 

The rabbit-like deity looked at the new shape he made of himself in the pond’s reflection and grinned widely. It took a good while, but it was worth it. It has been a long time since he has shape-shift since…ever. 

"Watch out, my little white doe....I'm about to bring the Outback to you." Bunnymund spoke, before tapping the ground a few times to open up a hole. 

Time for a little visit to the town…


	8. Calm Before the Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter of Ostara, please enjoy! :D Right now I'm focusing on uploading my stories on this site. I'm thinking about toning down Ostara and Flicker for Fanfiction.net's standards...bastards.

A snore escaped from his lips as he slumped against his chair, just breathing in and out; completely oblivious to the real world around him before forming a pillow with his arms. The action of his movements caused the already tilting mini tower of documents fell over, along with some knick-knacks and that caused him to wake up. 

“Hey, wha…!?” he blabbered as he looked around in his current situation. 

Scattered papers along the floor…that back ache from his computer chair…his desk…

Then he felt a dried residue on the corner of his mouth and something stuck to his forehead. 

Blinking in confusion, John reached up and pulled off the post-it and saw “flying ocelots” written on it. After reading it…everything came back to him. 

Of course…he pulled off three all-nighters for the file reports of a case and spent the night in his office. 

Again…now that was just sad.

He let out a sigh but relaxed as he smiled at the result of his work. The only important thing is that he doing some good to the community. While he could understand that his line of work seemed rather imperfect, and sometimes difficult, but Nathan does his best to place kids in a good home. 

There was this one time that he heard a colleague of his transferring to Hawaii, and dealt with an interesting case concerning about two orphaned sisters. 

Other than that, this is better than his last job…and there not one ounce of regret. 

“Time to hit the sack…” he yawned as he stretched out his limbs and made his way out of his office. 

As John walked down the hallway, he noticed a particular door was slightly ajar. He blinked before silently made his way over to that certain room and gently widen the door. There lying upon the once vacant bed was a certain white-haired teenager, sound asleep and completely oblivious to everything around him as he curled upon the mattress like a cat. 

Which was odd, since the last time he had spoken to him, Jack said that he would be in Australia for a couple of weeks with his class. 

John stared at him blankly for a moment before a soft smile grew on his face. Well, that can wait in the morning…

“Never thought to see him home so soon,” he spoke to himself. He then went inside and walked up to his sleeping son’s side, gently running his hand through the silver-white locks. 

“Rest well, kiddo…see you in the morning.”

\--

Next morning...

There is something about the concept of breakfast that you can’t get enough of. 

Maybe it was the presentation of a well-prepared meal that somehow looked like something out of a four-star restaurant. 

Or how good it smelled as soon it was off the stove…

Either way, Jack needed something to ease his stomach. He smiled in appreciation when his mother set a bowl of raspberry oatmeal along with his eggs and bacon. 

“Thanks, Mom, they look good,” he spoke to her as soon as his father took a seat by his side while Cora is content with her marmalade and buttered toast and eggs combo. 

Even though he is indeed hungry, Jack couldn’t help but stir his oatmeal a bit, occasionally taking a spoonful. That particular thought just couldn’t leave his head, even when he woke up this morning.  
God, why couldn’t he have normal problems like any other teenager?

“Hey, Jackie? Jackie?” 

Jack blinked and looked up to see his Dad that seemed to have materialized in the seat by him. His dark brown eyes were filled with concern, and judging by his hair, he was just got out of bed. He felt his throat being dry as he looked up to him, swallowing a bit. 

“You ok, Kiddo? Your mother told me what happened yesterday, and you seemed more out of it than the last time I saw you. You had me worried.” Leave it to his Dad, even though his sixth sense is not as strong as Mom’s, but he does help in his own way whenever he has the chance to talk with him. 

Jack just shrugged as he looked up to him with a small smile. “It’s nothing, just jetlag…” 

His Dad doesn’t seem to be convinced but he didn’t push on further, and assumed on eating his breakfast. Jack felt a bit relieved when the older man didn’t say anything further and started on his own breakfast. He took a spoonful of his oatmeal, savoring the sweet and tart flavor along with the tastes of oats and milk. A part of him felt terrible about lying to his own parents, but the thought of them thinking that he was insane, was a bit too much of a risk to take. 

However…they’re his parents…

They trust him…and he should trust them as well. So, it was now or never.

“Um…Dad?” he spoke up, almost hesitant. 

His Dad looked up to him with a sound of “hmm” when he took a spoonful of his breakfast. 

“I’m…not very truthful to you and Mom…” he admitted, swallowing a bit, feeling the uncomfortable twisting sensation inside of his stomach. “Something…did happen back in Australia.”

He could see his Dad shift his gaze over to his Mother across the table briefly before back at him. Jack didn’t need to look over to know that Mom was looking at him too. Cora was quiet as well, and she joined in staring at her older brother. 

His Dad didn’t say anything, prompting him to continue on further. This is it, time to be honest with them.

“Dad…I know that this might sound crazy, but…I somehow broke some long-lost god from his prison and he wanted to make babies with me.”

There…he said it. Now he had to wait for the aftermath.

Jack hesitantly looked up to see what his reaction was like. When he looked up, he saw a rather blank look on his Dad’s face. What is going through his head, he has no idea and had no other choice but to wait and see. 

“Oh, Jackie…” here it comes…Jack mentally and emotionally braced himself for impact. Then like a flipping a switch, a rather unsettling smile split his father’s face, almost reminding him of one of those Ken dolls that he had seen in the toy section that he accompanied Cora when they were younger. 

“Of course that sounds crazy, because you’re sprouting insane nonsense.”

_Wait, what?_

“And for that, we have to get you some help.”

Jack blinked for a second and then he noticed the walls around him are padded…and he was in a straitjacket.

_Wha-what?_

He looked up and saw his father standing before him, still smiling while a doctor and a nurse stood behind him. The said doctor’s eyes were obscured by light reflecting in his glasses, giving him an intimidating aura while the nurse looked like someone out of _One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest_ , if not looking a bit more mannish and rather beefy. He could even see a hairy mole on her chin, rather distracting if it would take away his attention on how unpleasant her expression and face looked. 

“You’ll be in safe hands…” His Father reassured him in a rather calm and monotone voice that is enough to give HAL 9000 more human personality. “I’m sure you’ll be all better.”

“WHAT!?” Jack was about to make a break for the door, only to have it slammed on his face. He stared pleadingly at his father through the tiny barred window; he could pound on the surface if it weren’t for the fact that his arms are restrained. “Dad…Dad, please…”

“This is for your own good, Jack.” Those were the last words that he heard before seeing his own father literally walk out on him. 

Jack…

…

Jack…

…

…  
Jack…?

Jackie?

“Jack!”

Jack blinked as he realized that he was staring at his oatmeal and quickly looked up to his father, who has a concerned expression on his face. 

“Look, I know that the oatmeal might be a terrible thing in the past,” he spoke in a soothing tone. “But I can assure you, it didn’t kill Batman’s parents. You don’t have to glare at it.”

Oh…he was daydreaming…or rather just thinking about what could be the worst case scenario if he were to tell his parents the truth. 

“S-sorry…I…got a lot on my mind…” Jack replied bashfully, as he set the oatmeal in front of him. 

_Quite the understatement of the year, Frost…_

From the corner of his eye, he could see his Dad looking unsure as he prepared to eat his own breakfast. “Are you sure?” he asked, pushing on a bit. “Your Mom did say that something happened during your trip in Australia.”

The white-haired youth looked up to him, trying to make his smile look natural as much as possible. “I’m sure of it, someone got sick and I’m still dealing with jetlag. It’s nothing.”

It seemed that his Dad doesn’t seem convinced, judging by the way he was studying him with his dark brown eyes. That look slightly reminded him of that daydream/worst case scenario, making him swallow a bit. 

After a moment of silence, the older man finally let out a sigh before smiling at him. “Alright…I’ll let this slide this time. Just let us know if you want help, no matter how small, ok?”

Jack couldn’t help but smile-genuinely this time- as he nodded. “Y-yeah…got it…” 

He then proceed to start his breakfast as his family joined in, the tension in the atmosphere was easing up a bit. Maybe he should wait a bit before telling his parents the real reason why his trip was ended abruptly. Perhaps, in some way, he would find some way to fix this mess that he brought upon the world. 

But for now, the first thing that Jack would do in the morning was to relax. 

\--

Six hours ago, evening…

Night blankets over Burgess, while some of its inhabitants are asleep, others try to enjoy whatever nightlife downtown has to offer. 

A young blonde woman walked out of the bar, laughing along with her friends. “Oh, my god, this is the best night of my life!” she exclaimed, looking a bit tipsy. 

One of her friends chuckled as she steadied her shoulders to keep her from falling over. “Easy there, Sugar,” she eased her. “You’ve got too much to drink!”

“Sugar” looked over to her friend with a loopy smile as she hung loosely around her. “No, I didn’t…” she slurred before letting out a hiccup. “I just had a few, shat’s all…”

The third member of their group- the only woman that wasn’t drunk- shook her head at her friends’ antics. “I think I have enough fun for one night, ladies,” she told them, readjusting her purse on her shoulder. “I’m gonna head on home, I got work tomorrow morning.”

As “Sugar” babbled on some nonsense, their friend turned to her, looking concerned. “Are you sure, Mary?” she asked. “I don’t know if it would be safe for you to be out here alone.”

Mary smiled at her with reassurance as she nodded. “Sue, it’ll be ok…my place is actually just down there,” she gestured over down the street from the bustling bar. “Besides, I have pepper spray and my cellphone.” 

The brunette woman was unsure at the moment, not minding at the fact that “Sugar” was rambling something about platypus-bunnies or something like that. “Ok…just…just be careful alright?” she readjusted her grip on the blonde woman to keep her from swaying further. “Just keep me posted while I get Ms. Tipsy here home.”

Mary smiled as she waved her friends goodbye before separating their ways. Now that she is completely alone, she briefly was having second thoughts about her decision but shoved it back into her mind. Her apartment is a few blocks from here, and this place is a small town. Nothing interesting happened in this place if it was a holiday or the farmer’s market event. However, the second thoughts reared its ugly head as she was yanked backwards into an alleyway when Mary felt a meaty hand clamped over her mouth. 

She barely let out a muffled scream until she felt herself being shoved harshly against a brick wall, but not as much as she had to deal with the bruising that will form on her face. Her hazel eyes widened in horror when Mary realized the person in front of her is. As if the knife wasn’t much of a clue…

Oh, why did she think that walking home alone late at night was a good idea?

“Alright, lady…” His voice was low and raspy; she could almost smell a mixture of sour alcohol and tobacco in his breath thanks to the close proximity. It was enough to make her want to vomit. That is if it weren’t for his hand practically covering her face. “Here’s the deal…ya give me all yer valuables and maybe I wouldn’t cut yer pretty little face and have you spread yer legs for me. How’s that sound?”

Mary didn’t know if he would keep his word, either way, she will be a dead woman that would suffer unspeakable things beforehand. Just when she was about to hand out her purse, there was a sound of a can being kicked was heard. This caught the mugger’s attention while keeping his grip around her face. Mary managed to look over from the corner of her eye in order to see what made that noise.  
She could see the figure in the shadows and from what she can tell with the limited light that it was a man. Oh, God, please let it be the Good Samaritan types. However when Mary’s eyes adjusted to the shadows- and little more illumination of the moon- she started to notice that the stranger was bare-chested…

And that goes the same everywhere else.

 _…You’ve got to be kidding me…I’m being saved by a Terminator wanna-be?!_

The Mugger barked out a rather harsh laugh as he also noticed the stranger’s nakedness. 

“Ha! What is this, a Terminator reenactment?” it seemed that she wasn’t the only one that noticed it. “This ain’t some movie where you’re the heroic robot from the future, ya sick freak! I highly suggest that you should fuck off while ya still can.”

The Stranger stared at him-it seemed from her viewing- before letting out a sigh. 

“It’s amazing how this place changed throughout the years,” he seemed to have an Australian accent, and Mary would have melted to how low it sounded if it weren’t for the fact that she might be mugged. “But no matter where I turn to…there will always be ratbags like you that scurry in their own filth.” Then he let out a small laugh as he shook his head, while placing a hand on his bare hip. “It’s so sad, it’s pathetic.”  
Whoever this guy is, he is either stupid or brave. Mary had no idea, but it seemed that what he said got to the bum in front of her. The way he was squeezing her face and his whole body shook, it clearly did more than pissed him off. After what seemed like forever, he finally released her face, giving her the chance to take in air greedily before her legs gave out underneath her. She would have used this opportunity to bail but she can’t for some reason. It seemed that her legs somehow became frozen, rendering them useless. 

But the bright side is that the mugger set his attention on the stranger now. 

Only problem is that the said stranger is weaponless. 

The Mugger sneered at him as he rose up his knife threateningly at him. “I’m gonna skin ya alive, ya freak!” With those words said, he sprinted forward to the Stranger, fully intent on stabbing him in either one of the vulnerable spots. 

Mary wasn’t unable to call out the stranger to run, since her voice seemed to be stuck in her throat. The Stranger just stood there as the Mugger charged at him, not even making a move to run away or grab a nearest object to use as a weapon. However what he did surprised her. Just as soon as the Mugger got near him, the Stranger grabbed the latter’s wrist and twisted it so hard, she could have sworn she heard the bones crack. That action made the greasy man scream in pain and was forced to drop the knife, the blade let out a clanking sound upon the concrete. 

But he didn’t stop there. 

The Stranger then used his free hand to grab the poor man’s throat and lifted him up off of the ground with surprisingly no effort at all. Mary could almost see the rippling muscles, and she would have admired them properly if it weren’t for the fact that he was choking the life out of the man who not too long ago held her hostage. The Mugger gripped the wrist as he kicked his feet in the air, almost as if it would make the other man to drop him. 

Only the Stranger doesn’t comply, only tightened his grip around his windpipe further and made him sputter and gag for air. After a good short while, Mary could see the Mugger’s movements decreasing, and soon, he became limp. And her savior carelessly dropped him to the ground like a rag doll, staring at his prone body with disdain. 

Mary’s body was shaking the entire time, not knowing what to do or what to think. She didn’t even notice the tears that were seeping out of her eyes as she stared up at him. Is he really a good man? Or is he worse than this guy? Will she live through the night?

She doesn’t know. 

The Stranger seemed to take notice of her, making her flinch underneath his gaze. A few moments have passed, and he finally spoke to her. 

“Alright, Sheila…beat it.”

She didn’t need to be told twice as Mary scrambled to get up on her feet, cursing her decision to wear pumps. She didn’t need to deal with this crap any more than necessary. The further away, the better…

\--

He let out a quiet “hpmh” as the pathetic excuse for a woman scampered off to who knows where. “Now then…” he said as he looked down at the poor bloke, whose windpipe he might have crushed. Oh well, he might be some person that no one will miss.

“On to the more important things…” he then knelt down the now prone body and began to strip it of its clothing.

“Even the fashion changed…I think I would get used to this era.”


	9. The Beginning of a Courtship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The lyrics that will be featured here is copyrighted by Skillet and the film Maleficent is copyrighted by Disney
> 
> And I hope that I haven't kept everyone waiting with this story

There are practically a lot of things to do for today now that he and his classmates get some time off from school early. Sure he could surf around the internet or play some games, but as much as he like to, he's not feeling up for it. Plus he doesn't want to sit on his ass in the house the entire day and genuinely wanted to see if anything changed in this small town while he was at campus. So, with his iPhone fully charged and in his pocket, along with some good quality earphones, Jack was out and about upon the familiar streets of Burgess.

As Jack walked through the small town he noticed that, while his small town looked generally the same, Burgess had some vibrant new additions here and there. Like a new flower shop or a new pastry store. And some old buildings were being renovated. 

These are the sort of changes I'm glad to see after coming home. Jack thought to himself with a smile.

He decided to plug in his earphones into his iPhone and place on the buds into his ears before going through his playlist and found the perfect song. As soon as Jack has done that, he didn't notice that he was passing by a woman who was animatedly talking to a couple of men who looked like they work for the small town police station.

"Look, I'm not making this up!" She exclaimed, being frantic for someone in this time of the morning. "Last night I was saved by a naked man! And he killed the bum with one hand!"

"Alright, ma'am, just calm down..."

"How can you expect me to calm down, when I became a witness to a damn murder!?" The woman asked hysterically. 

"Alright, ma'am, just try to relax and describe the man that you saw last night." One of the officers spoke soothingly while taking out a pen and notepad from his jacket pocket. 

"He was about six foot one, had dark skin....and weird blue tattoos. And I couldn't see his hair, but he had green eyes. And he sounded foreign. Like European or something." The woman explained.  
"European..." the officer spoke as he wrote down the notes upon his pad. “Can you describe his voice? Or any clothing”

“Kind of deep…but he wasn’t wearing any clothes at all!”

“…not wearing clothes?”

Fortunately for Jack, he was oblivious as he went on, playing his favorite songs and silently singing along with the lyrics.

"...No, you'll never be alone...when darkness comes I'll light the night with stars, hear the whispers in the dark..." he softly sang as he walked on the familiar street. Jack took in his surroundings along the beat of the music, seeing the shops open for the coming day. He head down one corner of the street leading to the town center, seeing the statue of the town’s founder, Thaddeus Burgess.  
From what he remembered (well, barely, to be honest) from history class back in high school, he was said to have built his first log cabin for his family by the river side before the “bitter winter” sets in 1795.  
Bitter winter…

That was a rather harsh way to describe one of the seasons. While he can understand that it was all matter of survival back then, but there is another side to it. To Jack, whenever he see snow, all he could see was a wonderland-like beauty…and fun. Sure it was corny to describe it, but that was how he sees it when he was a kid. He could be out there for hours, even when his choice of winter clothing are kind of thin. Sure, the other seasons are ok, but winter is definitely his favorite. 

The softness of the snow fall, the calmness of the white scenery, and the way that the ice forms from the tree branches and rooftops, it was so elegant. 

And speaking of ice…

“I should check out that lake by the woods…”

It has been a while since he had been to that place, maybe some time with nature wouldn’t hurt.

-

He almost had forgotten how hard it was with this current body whenever he had to blend in.

Not only he had to deal with the absence of fur, but even with improved fashion, clothing is-and always will be- uncomfortable. It felt so alien having the strange different fabrics rubbing against his now exposed skin. Then there are his senses…

Dear Gods in Heaven and below, how did they handle their dulled down and limited senses throughout the day? He could barely pick up any sounds from the very top of this structure. What is even worse is that his sense of smell is the only thing that didn’t change, so he had to deal with the disgusting stench of human civilization. 

And then there was the shape-shifting.

Ugh…how he loved and yet loathed this ability so much.

Sure, it was useful in situations such as walking among them and blending into the crowd, but there is the process is the only thing that he hated the most. Every single bone and muscle breaking and tearing apart as they repaired themselves just as quickly; it took all of his willpower not to scream out in pain or else it would catch the attention of the entire town but it still hurt like Hell.  
But nevertheless, this is going to be worth it in the end.

After all, he had a good look at himself in a reflection. While not normally a vain being, this appearance would most likely win his precious doe over.

And speaking of his doe…

A smirk stretched his lips when his eyes were set upon the familiar mop of white hair as he was walking down the street, not paying any attention to the ravings of that female that he saved last night. He would’ve killed her if he wanted to, but if experience taught him something, he was rather glad that he spared her. 

The last thing he wanted is to give a nagging clue to his doe that he was here, which would ruin the surprise. He could barely contain himself as his doe headed to the town center, stopping before what looked like a statue, which is in path to the forest where he was setting up a temporary base. 

But first thing is first when it comes to courting…getting to know your mate. 

Time to make his move…

-

Jack was admiring the statue, still listening to his music, when suddenly he felt someone tap on his shoulder. He took out his earphones and turned to see who it was and saw a tall, dark skinned handsome man. The guy's hair seemed like a deep grey color and his eyes were a vibrant green. Jack felt an odd sense of familiarity, but shook it off. 

“Yes, can I help you?” Jack asked, politely. 

“I'm sorry to disturb ya, mate, but I was wondering if you could tell me what kind of music you're listening to.” The man asked in an Australian accent.

Jack blinked as he stared at him, why would a complete stranger like him ask him something like that. But then again, it's not every day that you come across someone as hot as...this guy...  
NO! No! That's not how the world works! Besides, he might be a tourist just dropped by for a pit stop or something like that...aaaaaaand he really sucked up coming up reasons while trying not to admire...NO. No, no….no…focus, Jack, focus, don’t be distracted by the hot foreign man... 

Gah!

"Um...nothing special...just my tracklist from various bands I like, Nightwish, Linkin Park, and whatnot. Mostly rock music."

...Why did his mouth always get a life of his own? Well, at least he didn’t sprout out nonsense. 

“Really? I never heard of those bands. You'll have to pardon me, I just arrived here in the U.S and I'm kind of lost. I grew up with a like for old fashioned things.” Aster said. It wasn't a total lie, but Jack didn't know just HOW old fashioned he was. 

“Oh I see. Well how do you like the U.S so far?” Jack asked. 

“It’s pretty great, but it'd be even better if I had a guide. I'm sorry to impose like this but would you mind showing me around a few places? Maybe we could talk along the way.” Aster said.  
Jack smiled a bit as he turned to him, relaxing in his presence.

"That would be awesome," then he looked around the area. "Though I don't know why you would start with a place like this. This town is kinda rural. The closest thing to entertainment is around the holidays or a new movie."

Aster stared at him in confusion.

"Mo-vie?" Apparently, humans are more advanced than he thought.

“You've never seen a movie?” Jack asked in amazement. 

“Er....no, I'm sorry to say. I usually watch....plays.” Aster answered awkwardly. The closest thing he had to plays in his time was when he would observe the humans play out scenarios involving him during his festivals. Closest thing to an entertainment among them, though they need to work on his image a bit. 

“Wow, I guess you really meant it when you said old fashioned. Well how about for our first stop, I take you to see a movie?” Jack asked politely.

Aster felt himself smile at this. "That would be nice...what should we watch?"

He wasn't lying about the first part, back in the day, he would demand from his worshippers. But being offered like this...it was...rather refreshing.

“Well, how do you feel about supernatural types of movies?” Jack asked. At this, Aster couldn't stop the grin. The doe had no idea he was talking to a supernatural type of being. Oh the irony of this situation.  
“I find them....interesting.” The taller man spoke, while keeping up of an ignorant foreigner act. 

“Well then you'll enjoy this movie! It’s called Maleficent, and I was actually planning to go see it again today. Now I'm glad I'll have company to enjoy it.” Jack said.

"Maleficent...sounds intriguin'..."

Quite odd to make a "play" about someone actually named Maleficent, but spending time with his future mate...it would be worth it.

"That's what I said," he heard Jack spoke with excitement. "We get to see the dark fairy's point of view in Sleeping Beauty."

Dark fairy...he had come across one of them in the past during his travels. A rather decent Sheila, though it took a while to get used to the fact that her head is detached from her body. Though he had a nasty run in with a leprechaun one time… 

“It sounds like a very interesting mo-vie.” Aster said. 

“You bet it is, and more too. Oh, I almost forget. I don't think I got your name or said mine. I'm Jackson Overland Frost, but you can just call me Jack. And you are?” Jack held out his hand after making the introductions. Aster gave him a grin and took the pale hand into his and gave a firm handshake. 

“Aster Munddy, but I prefer Aster. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jack.” 

-


	10. Of Movie Popcorn and Ice Cream Headaches

If there is anything that he hated about having this era’s clothing is the footwear. 

He was so used to have the feeling of dirt and grass upon his feet, the confining sensation of his toes encased was uncomfortable. Every step he took somehow pinches his toes and the bottoms of his feet were aching like Hell. There was this annoying sound of the soles of his boots are making when making contact with the floor. He was warned that this “theater” has a possibility of having “sticky floors”, which sounded just as unpleasant as this infernal footwear. 

But the fact that he gets to sit next to his intended doe in the dark…by the gods, he is going to endure it all!

And he had to admit, the humans inventing a machine to control the air inside a building is impressive. 

“Popcorn?” his doe’s lovely voice whispered to him. 

Bunny (or rather Aster) looked over to him and noticed that Jack was holding up a bucket of popped corn that is vaguely smelled of margarine. Curiosity filled him as he picked one kernel from the bucket before inspecting it. He had seen these during his visits to the Aztec pantheon and was introduced to this delicacy and was curious on how the humans made it now.  
The taste is both salty and buttery, and also has a dry texture to it. He slightly grimaced at the sensation. It was rather unpleasant, though his doe seemed to like it. Along with the other patrons that were sitting here and there inside the theater. All of them were focused upon the film as they snacked upon the food that they had bought from the concession stand. 

He shrugged his shoulders before returning his attention back to the screen before him.

The woman who played the dark fairy is quite good, even though she seems over the top in some parts of her performances, briefly reminding him of the times back in the old days when he had taken a peek of the festival plays that were in his honor. While he couldn’t deny the fact that she is quite pretty (perhaps it was due to her cheekbones), there was no doubt on his mind that his doe was more beautiful. They did have some certain facts about fairies down, such as their weakness to iron and close connection to nature; there are some things that this film left out. Such as the fact that fairies tend to take children and replace them with their own, but when it comes to being a godparent to the child, there has to be a contract between two parties, along with an offering from the humans. That and pixies aren’t really push-overs, what they lack in size was made up with their vast number.

But nevertheless, he is quite enjoying himself, mostly due with the fact that he is sitting next to his soon to be mate. He shifted his eyes over to Jack’s face, who was transfixed to the screen. The way the light brought out the natural glow of his eyes and the way it danced upon his pale skin, the sight of it was very mesmerizing. 

He smiled as he made a “casual” move by leaning in close to him with just their shoulders touching since they are sharing the same armrest between them. He feigned innocence as he quickly turned his attention to the screen when Jack noticed of this. Bunny smirked internally to himself when he spied a lovely tint of red upon the youth’s pale cheeks. 

He should thank the Fates someday for bringing a beauty such as this to existence.

-

“That was an interesting experience,” Aster spoke as they both walk out of the theater, winching a bit when he was greeted by the sight of the sun. Considering the fact that they were in a dark room inside a building, he had grown used to the controlled lighting inside. 

“I know, right?” Jack smiled, trying to keep a good distance from Aster when he realized that he’s walking in a bit too close. 

Aster frowned inwardly when Jack moved away. Did he do it to purposely get away from him or because he doesn't generally walk close to others? Perhaps if he respected Jack's space more he would eventually want to move closer.

"So, is there anything you would like to see in this town?" Jack spoke up, striking a conversation as they walk along the sidewalk as some cars drove by them. "I know there isn't much, but there are some fun places to check out."

Aster considered it a moment before he answered.

"Well, do you have any sort of treats here? I'd like for something sweet." Aster said.

Jack smiled as he thought of the perfect place.

"I think I know the perfect place," he grinned as he cocked his head to the side. "Come on, we'll take the scenic route. I think you'll be in for a treat."

Bunny followed him to make a sprint across the street as they head down what Jack considered as the "scenic route".

It wasn't exactly scenic to him, as he was used to how things looked way back so many centuries ago, there was less rubbish (though the smell more or less improved slightly). But it wasn't the worst sight he's seen since coming here. He could see that there are some generic small shops, from flowers to hardware shop; there was a small bookshop with some rather pretty stationary. Jack led the way to another building that had an image of a small dog and a moon hanging overhead outside and Aster flinched at the sudden chill when he stepped inside, instantly regretting his choice of attire.  
Jack looked over to him, looking concerned.

"Not used to the cold?" he asked.

Aster shrugged as he held back the urge to rub his bare arms. "Yeah...I'm...more of a warm climate kind of guy." It wasn’t a total lie…last time he had been to some place cold was far North to meet up with the local trickster of the Norse pantheon for some assistance. The instant he set foot upon that land, he was greeted with the freezing cold and nearly gained frostbite on his feet. If it weren’t for their rendezvous at one of the remote hot springs in the mountains, he would have been frozen solid. 

_Damn that silver tongued frost-bitten gumby..._

"Well we don't have to eat inside. Just wait out on one of the benches and I'll bring out our ice cream." Jack said.

"That sounds much better." Aster said with great relief before heading out.

Though he didn't always prefer being human, it did have its perks, such as being able to see in color. And these "ice creams" sure were colorful. But he didn't want to pick something too outrageous, like this Hershey Double Fudge and…did that one say Cherry-Chimichanga? He'd bounce all around the globe and expose his secret to Jack in an instant.

So Aster picked from the classics list and chose what seemed like the tasty flavor.

"This vanilla one with a chocolate shell looks tasty." Aster said.

Jack blinked as he looked over to the flavor that he's pointing to.

"The special?" he spoke before turning to a young man with a rather (for a better lack of word) unique looking garment, the design consists of a depressed giant dragon-lizard with comically small arms. There are some buttons adorning his small hat, one of them have an image of a black bat next to an “s” shield. "One in hot fudge vanilla and one in pistachio, please?"

"You got it," the latter said, smiling politely. "So would it be in a waffle cone or cup?"

"A cone, if you please." The tall man requested.

He watched as the man scooped out their orders, handing his cone over to Jack which he passed on to him before waiting for his. Aster stared at the treat in his hand while his intended mate pay for both of them.  
"Come on, I know the best place to eat this," the younger man spoke up. "How do you feel about nature and parks?"

Jack didn't know that he was talking to a pagan deity who controlled such elements, but Aster would tell him later, much, much later…

"It sounds quite tranquil." He replied with a smile.

"Good, it's one of my favorite places to hang out," with his free hand, he touched Aster’s arm-much to the latter's delight- and lead him out of the building.

It didn't take long for them to head over to the said park, with the familiar frozen lake as he and Jack took a seat on one of the benches.

"I really love this place," he heard Jack sighed in content before he licked his treat. "From what my Dad told me that this lake has been frozen since the foundation of the town. And to this day, no matter what the weather, it's still intact. Even thick enough to walk across…”

He leaned back in his seat as he gazed at the frozen lake. “Some say that there is an explanation to this, but in my opinion, it’s the mystery that makes it beautiful.” 

"That's quite interesting." Aster spoke, being sincere. Though he didn't like the cold, he did love the wonders of nature. He could see why there are little ones who see winter as something wonderful, despite its reputation as the season of death. It even made the world more beautiful throughout the seasonal cycle. 

Aster took a good look at his own ice cream, sniffing a bit. It has a rather unique scent and he does find it appetizing. He took an experimental lick and then he blinked at the flavor that filled his tongue.  
"Do you like it?" Jack asked, smiling.

Aster didn't answer, but instead gulped it all down and licked his fingers to clear the sweet residue. But then he noticed that his head was starting to hurt and he grabbed it as he groaned in pain.

"Gah! My head!" Aster exclaimed, clenching his head as he does so. He could feel the insides pounding inside his skull. 

Jack watched and he couldn't help but laugh, all the while trying to keep his hand holding his cold treat steady. "Lesson learned...savor your ice cream slowly, otherwise you would be suffering a rather nasty headache." He chortled even more, holding his stomach with his free arm as he kept his ice cream scoop balanced. 

The latter stared at him, trying not to pout until Jack's laughter proven to be contagious as he laughed along as well.

Bless the Fates indeed.

-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Silver Tongue – refers to one of the titles of Loki, jotun, child of Fárbauti and Laufey, God of Lies and Mischief, Skywalker, father (and mother) to the fiercest monsters such as Jormungand/World Serpent, giant wolf Fenrir, and the eight-legged horse Sleipnir, shape-shifter and one of the most famous tricksters of mythology and folklore. Also depicted beautifully in the Marvel universe, bow to him.


	11. Out on a Town

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while but after writer's block and real life rearing its ugly head, I finally got this chapter finished. I hope it's worth the wait for all of you but I can't promise any speedy updates. I am grateful for those who stood by me and more than willing to see these stories through. And with that said, please enjoy!

Jack actually has a great time with Aster today. Despite the slight awkwardness, he enjoyed his company, even though there was something odd about this Aster Munddy. He could count leaning against him seemed off, but he brushed it off as the older man trying to relax, since the theater seats were uncomfortable. But he did notice that once they head out of the theater the taller man was walking rather close to him. 

Nevertheless, he didn’t mind his company.

He had to admit, Aster was rather cute when he tried ice cream for the first time, especially when he earned himself an ice cream headache. Honestly, the look on his face was priceless, and he couldn’t help but laugh. Thankfully for him, Aster seemed to have some sense of humor as he laughed along with him. 

As soon as they calm down, Jack savored the rest of his ice cream as he gazed at the frozen pond before him. He wasn’t lying when he said that he love this part of the town the most. There was some sort of mystical aspect about it, something that he wasn’t able to describe it in words. For as long as he could remember, Jack has played upon the pond when he was a child. He not only ice skate upon the ice in the winter times, but also walked upon it bare foot during the warmer seasons. He enjoyed the cold sensation of the ice against the bottoms of his feet, which surprisingly didn’t get frostbite.  
In fact, he was never frostbitten as long as he could remember.

Don’t get him wrong, he does dress accordingly to the seasons. But there were times when he would forget to wear a jacket when working outside until he realized he was only in a t-shirt and jeans. And that only happened around the winter times. He would find his mom always standing by the front door with a jacket and a pair of sandals in hand. There were times he wondered if he was some kind of mutant, but figured a long time ago that he was born with different material that would withstand the cold. 

So, he can’t complain about that. 

He stole a glance over Aster who was working on the waffle cone and had to hold back a laugh at the face the older man made at the taste. Apparently, he didn’t get that much ice cream from where he came from. Jack continued to lick his own cone, savoring the nutty sweet flavor at each lick as he admired the scenery before them. 

The frozen lake contrasting to the lush green was beautiful to behold, which made it one of the most visited hotspots in town by those who drive in for a rest stop at the motels. Luckily for the town rule, this place was thankfully not littered. That way Jack was able to walk barefoot without encountering any trash that might hurt his feet. Not to mention not to ruin one of his favorite spots in town. He remembered one time when he was younger that he tried to ice fish with his Dad with a gardening shovel as a make-shift ice pick. However the ice was too thick to pierce, which almost broke the blade. How his Mom reacted to their ashamed faces when they got back with a slightly dented shovel. He got an earful from that day but it still worked. 

As he reminisced the old days, Jack vaguely noticed some ice cream residue on his cheek. 

Nor the warm wet muscle that trailed up the melted cream that followed afterward. 

He flinched in surprise before looking over to see Aster licking his lips as he gazed at him. For some odd reason, it made his heart race, from embarrassment or fear, he had no idea. But for some reason that look in his green eyes seemed familiar to him…

“That was delicious…”

-

“That was delicious…” 

And the ice cream flavor that Jack picked out was good too.

He knew that it was a rather bold move to make, but he couldn’t help it. 

As soon as he finished off his treat, he made himself busy by watching Jack. He admired the way his eyes shone in the afternoon sunlight as the latter gaze at the frozen lake while savoring his treat. It also had the same effect on his white hair, creating some sort of bright halo. Aster watched as the small pink tongue routinely licked off the surface of the sweet cold treat. Oh, how he wanted to feel that tongue upon his own, two of their wet muscles fighting for dominance. Perhaps if Jack tasted as sweet as that ice cream that he liked so much?

He actually felt anticipation, all the while thinking about throwing his plan into the wind and spirit Jack away to his burrow. 

_Easy there, Bunnymund,_ He mentally eased himself. No need to rush into things. _After all…Aesop did say that slow and steady wins right?_

Jack stared at him before looking away the second later; he managed to see a tint of red on the younger man’s cheeks while he wiped off the residue. “You…could have pointed that out, you know.” He heard him grumble but Aster chuckled nonetheless. At least he got a reaction from it. 

“So, Jack, what else can we see around town?”

\--

They have spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the entire town. 

Jack had shown him the popular coffee shop with the best baked goods in town to his favorite local bookstore for some odd reason known as Reading Sasquatch. He had to admit, it was rather quaint despite being a small town. But this establishment is still considered bigger in his opinion, compared to the old days. Not to mention how much humans misinterpret their own lore. He never knew that they actually bought the description of the dullahans and the escapades of Loki.

_It was interesting on how humans think about the supernatural,_ “Aster” thought to himself while skimming through a few books. _That and so many different opinions when it comes with religion._

“So what do you think so far?”

Bunny looked up from the book that he was skimming through to find Jack, who was smiling at him. It would seem that he was standing there for quite some time. He spied a certain book in the younger man’s hands which peak his interest a bit. No harm on making a conversation, which leads to more info on your future mate. 

“So far, I’m actually having a good time,” he admitted. “Though I have to admit, there are a lot of different views on certain lore.”

Jack nodded as he peeked over his shoulder, spying the certain page that he is reading. “Yeah, mostly on Greco-Roman mythology, apparently. Personally I think the Edith Hamilton version is kinda dry.”  
Bunny raised an eyebrow at this. “You like mythology?” He asked, sounding casual.

He knew that the scholar group that Jack was accompanied with specialized with something, but it doesn’t hurt to make sure what kind of subject that his future mate partakes in. Not to mention why he was on what used to be his temple. 

"Oh, yeah, I'm hoping to get a major in mythology so I can set things straight.” Jack replied. “Well, as straight as you can get them when it comes to deities depicted thousands of years ago." 

"Really? That's quite interesting. Have you been studying mythology long?" 

"A good four months now. And just recently I went on a class field trip abroad to study about a certain deity." 

“Oh, really?” Bunny spoke, keeping his voice sound interested. 

Jack nodded as he gazed at the book that he was holding. “Yeah, from what I hear it’s like a lost pagan god. Interestingly enough, he wasn’t recorded in any texts, even by the locals on those islands far off the Australian coast.”

Bunny smirked inwardly to himself at the futile attempts of the former islanders keeping him nonexistent to the outside world. But looking back, he noticed that there were some odd metal contraptions here and there, indicating that someone found his abode. It would seem that time was literally on his side. Bonus points for the innovation of humanity.

“Is there a reason why?” he asked, thanking himself for being well practiced with years of practice before his imprisonment. There was a moment of silence on Jack’s end. He noticed at there was a slight hesitation by the way Jack flinch for a moment before stiffening. Bunny mentally counted the seconds as the younger man tried to think of an excuse. 

“I-er, _WE_ didn’t get to learn why since my teacher caught a flu bug.”

He had to admit, Jack is a terrible liar but he gave him points for effort though. If it were the old days, he would have ripped out an offensive mortal’s tongue for even daring to lie to him. But he is currently in human disguise, so he couldn’t blame him. That and Bunny had seen the said teacher being in good health, despite the brief notice while in pursuit of his Doe. 

“I see…” Bunny decided to stop there and not push the topic any further. If he asks too much, there would be a possibility that Jack would catch on and find out who he is. That would drive a wedge in his plans. “I’m thinking about getting Ovid’s _Metamorphosis_.” He heard Jack spoke up, breaking his train of thought. Bunny looked over to the book that he was holding and instantly recalled a certain Roman mortal with the same name. From what he recalled, the man had tirelessly gathered at least 250 stories of the Greco-Roman tales and placed them all in at least 15 manuscripts. 

“I find that an enjoyable read,” Bunny spoke up. “It’s considered one of the most popular of his works, even back then.”

“Is that so?”

This is going to be an enjoyable day.

\--

After Jack made his payment, they walked down the street as Bunny take in the rest of the town. He took note that Jack was somewhat well known among the townspeople, judging by the casual greeting on a few occasions. What really caught his eye was how he interacted with the local children that they had come across. The children were instantly drawn to Jack like moths to a flame, a few of them clamoring for his attention despite their parents’ pleas for them to behave and not to bother him. He watched as Jack knelt before them, seeing the way his eyes lit up as he smiled kindly to each of them, almost in a brotherly manner. 

A rather appealing trait if he were to bear him kits. 

Bunny waited for him to finish the small chat before waving goodbye to the children and resuming the tour. Along the way, Bunny noticed a pet shop window showcasing some small animals such as cats and dogs, an occasional bird or two, along with some rabbits among them. He walked up to the window to gaze at them, just out of curiosity. He wasn’t surprised that the moment that he went up to the glass, the small lagomorphs were immediately drawn to him. Despite being not really a mere earthly creature, rabbits and hares seemed to have an uncanny attraction to him. This had led to his followers to assume that these creatures are associated with him back in the day. Bunny had to admit, they’re useful as messengers and actually a good company. He watched with amusement as the small rabbits clamor over each other to get a better view of him. He noticed Jack walking up to his side via reflection but played it cool as the younger man watched with amazement.

“Wow, these little guys seem to like you,” he commented. 

Bunny only smirked at him as he stared at him from the corner of his eye. “I always did have a way with animals.”

Understatement of the year that he had ever spoken…

-

They continued on the tour until they both noticed that it was nearly getting dark, as the street lights were flicked on for the night life. Jack pulled out his iPhone to check the digital clock and was amazed at how much time has passed. “Wow, that late already?” he commented out loud before looking up to Aster. “I guess we had to call it a night.” 

If he had to be honest with himself, he didn’t want this to end. Even though he had only known him for who knows how many hours, Jack really liked his company. Sure, he’s a stranger but as his mother once said, strangers are just friends you have never met yet. It worked for his childhood in town growing up and in college, so why not with Aster? Although Jack had to admit that he is a bit…forward, for a better lack of term. But so far, he hadn’t done anything that might raise red flags. So he had to be a good guy. 

“So, you got a hotel to get back to?”

There was a slight hesitation as Aster scratched the back of his head a bit. “Well, I do…but…to be honest I was kinda worried about you heading back home alone at this hour.”

Jack just gave him a reassuring smile as he shrugged. “I know this place like the back of my hand, I’ll be fine.” That is when Aster gave him a look with a raised eyebrow. “Ya sure? ‘Cause I heard that there is some sort of crazy bloke running around here. From what I hear, he killed someone or somethin’.”

That is when Jack’s smile fell as soon as he said that. He honestly didn’t hear about that one. As far as Jack could remember, Burgess was more or less a peaceful town. The only crime committed here is parking violations and an occasional overdue library book but that was it. The thought of a possible killer in this town was almost surreal. 

"Yeah...That's right." Jack said. "I guess an escort wouldn't be such a bad idea. But are you sure that your family won't be expecting you soon?" 

"Oh don't worry. I came here myself. My family...well, they're not with me anymore." Aster said sadly. That one was completely true. His parents had long left this world. But that was quite a few eons ago.  
"Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." Jack apologized.

"It’s alright. It was a long time ago. But come on, let's get you back home." Aster said, offering his arm to Jack. After all a Buck must act like a proper gentleman to his Doe.

Jack felt his face heat up but smiled and took the arm anyway. "And here I thought chivalry is dead." He joked a bit.

Like he said, it was only a few hours that he met him but he had a feeling that he's a nice guy. But still, one cannot jump the gun too soon. It's not some bad romance novel after all.

Oh great. Now the song _Bad Romance_ is playing in his head and won't stop. 

"You'll find that I hold true to a lot of the past traditions, Jack." Aster said as he took Jack home.

"A traditionalist, huh?" Jack said as soon as they head back to the neighborhood. It might not be a long walk since the only light provided for them are the illumination of porch lights thanks to the houses. "I can live with that. Though, Dad did say that tradition can be a double-edged sword. There is no right or wrong way to live your life after all."

Aster raised an eyebrow at this as soon as they stepped on the porch.

"Yer Father sounds like a good man." He commented.

Jack smiled as he nodded while briefly thinking about his father. “Yeah...might not be perfect but still a good dad.” Then he looked up and noticed that they're on the porch of his house. “So...I'm home now.” Wow, awkward much, Frost?

“Yup…” Aster nodded as he looked around the premise. It seemed decent, not too big but at the same time not to small either. At least in appearance anyway, he had to keep any further opinions to himself (although the Warren is always the best in his honest opinion). 

“Mm-hmm.” 

Again, awkwardness.

"So...Will you still be in town tomorrow?" Jack found himself asking, shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets out of habit. 

"Yes. I plan to stay a while. I have some business to take care of." Aster replied, leaving out the fact that his business had to do with courting Jack. 

"Well, maybe you would like to do something like this again?" 

Aster looked at him in the eye for a good long minute before smiling. 

“I would be more than happy to.” 

That was his answer. Short, simple, and straight to the point. This might be Jack’s imagination, but he could have sworn that Aster’s face was slowly coming closer and closer. That is until he felt the latter’s warm breath upon his face.

“Aster…?” he softly spoke up.

“Jack?” 

Jack blinked before immediately pulled back to see his father standing by the now opened door, staring at him with an unreadable expression. Meanwhile Aster cursed himself mentally at the ill-timing the sire made. 

_Bloody Hell…_


	12. Meet the Father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last time on Ostara…
> 
> Jack was unknowingly gone on a date with an ancient god and let him know where he lives!
> 
> Jack nearly got his first kiss stolen by Aster, only to be saved by the well timing moment of his daddy!
> 
> And now…back to the story.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t always do this…Hell, I don’t even know if ANYONE reads my thoughts before going on this chapter anymore. But seeing the past reviews that you guys sent me got me thinking. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the support that you all are giving me. However, the constant requesting of update or write more just as soon as you get the update notice, that’s where I’m gonna draw the line here. I don’t know if anyone notice, but I’ve been alternating updates between Ostara and Flicker. Not to mention that I have a life beyond the keyboard, I’ve been trying to look for a job, take care of household chores, maintaining my relationship with my boyfriend, spending some time with friends and family, etc. I even suffer from writer’s block from time to time, and that goes the same for perfecting and maintaining the plot, dialogue, and grammar. AlexJohnD (he’s awesome btw, check him out on fanfiction.net) word this best, for both writers AND reviewers:
> 
> TO AUTHORS: Now I don't want to come across as rude or impolite when saying this (obviously, I'm Canadian :)) but it has to be said. When you start writing a story, it is a commitment. You have a commitment to yourself and all of those people following, reviewing, and favouriting to finish the story. Nothing makes us (there is no way I'm the only one thinking this) more upset than getting really into this amazing story, only to find out the author has stopped writing half way through. It breaks our hearts. We want to know YOUR ending to YOUR story, not OUR ending to YOUR story, which we are forced to make up if we want any sense of closure. So please, finish writing your stories at the end, not in the middle. However, sometimes things happen and it is not possible to finish the story, or you won't be updating from a few months. If this is the case, at least have the courtesy to tell us.
> 
> AND TO REVIEWERS: That's right, you have a responsibility too! We owe the authors of the stories on this fine site our reviews. HOWEVER! A two word review saying "update soon" is NOT an acceptable review. Put some effort into it people! When writing a review, I take at least 2 minutes to make sure I mention something specific from the chapter or answer a question the author may have asked, and then reread it to make sure I'm not coming across as rude. Speaking of which: constructive criticism is one thing and is acceptable in a review, however HATE MAIL IS NEVER ACCEPTABLE NO MATTER THE SITUATION! It is their story, they can write it however they want, and if you don't like it why the heck are you reading it?
> 
> I just wanted everyone to know that I appreciate all the support that you give me. And it's up to all of you whether or not you want to see this to the end.

Jack blinked before immediately pulled back to see his father standing by the now opened door, staring at him with an unreadable expression. Meanwhile Bunnymund cursed himself mentally at the ill-timing the sire made.

_Bloody Hell…_

That was the first thing that came to his head as he looked over to his Doe’s sire. Jack seemed to take a lot from him, showing how the youth would look like if he reached to adult age. While there was a resemblance, there are certain things that he noticed. While Jack sports white hair, his father actually has dark brown hair. Even their eyes are also different as well, his eye color are the same shade as his hair. Not unlike Jack’s bright blue eyes. 

_He might have taken after his mother then,_ Bunnymund theorized.

“Dad!” Jack was the first one to speak up. He mentally kicked himself for forgetting to keep his parents posted whenever he goes out. Now that he’s here, on the porch-with Aster nonetheless- he had a feeling that he would have to explain a lot to him.

“You’re…up late.” 

_Nice way to start a conversation with Dad, Frost._

His Dad didn’t answer as he stared at Aster, analyzing him with a rather blank look on his face. He had no idea what when through his head, looking rather cautious. After a moment, his father finally made some sort of response. 

“Yeah, I am.” He spoke. His voice had a calm and even tone to it, but Jack knew better. The saying of “calm before the storm” exists for a reason. “Got some files to take care of. Who is this?”  
Jack subconsciously noticed that his lips were dry at the moment and licked them a bit as he turned to Aster in question. He noticed that the older man was staring at him as well, hopefully not sizing him up. The last thing that Jack wanted was his Dad picking a fight with him or worse. He recalled the times when Dad constantly advocate the importance of being active and exercise regularly growing up. However, judging by Aster’s slightly muscular physique, it was obvious that there was a huge difference between them. 

If that were to happen, it wouldn’t end well.

“This…this is Aster,” He began the introduction, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible. “He’s a tourist that I met during my walk and showed him around town for a bit.”

“So, he’s just someone that you just met and spent time with him?” 

Translation: You just come across a perfect stranger and spent some time with him.

The way he word it sounded more like a statement than an actual question. And that is when Jack knew that he was really in trouble. He suddenly felt his stomach do some flips and turns, giving off an uncomfortable sensation as his heart was beating rapidly. Jack briefly took note on how heavy he was breathing, his head was completely void of any excuses that he had in mind. Just when he was close to panicking, Aster stepped in just time. 

“Well, if you ask me, Sir, strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet.” 

This somehow eased Jack’s anxiety a bit. He is grateful for the save but the way that his Dad was looking at Aster wasn’t a good sign. To an outsider, it would seem that he seemed to be calm to the point of looking blank. But Jack had a gut feeling that it wasn’t the case on what he was really feeling internally. 

“Right…I’m sorry I haven’t gotten your name. Who are you?”

Aster gave him a charming smile as he extended a hand out to him. “Aster Munddy, it’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.” 

John continued to stare at him blankly before reaching out to take Aster’s hand into his for a firm shake. 

“John Frost, Jack’s father. Likewise…”

When Aster felt the human’s fingers wrap around his hand, he didn’t expect a fairly strong grip. He briefly took note of the latter’s physique, seeing that it was quite average with no hint of muscle. But he could practically feel the joints in his bones being slightly squeezed. Instinctively, Aster placed in a bit more pressure in his own grip, not enough to break the poor man’s hand but just a bit to showcase his strength. However, this somehow made John grip his hand harder, all the while keeping that calm poker face that he was sporting. It could be his old habits talking, but he was sure as all known realms of Hell that he wouldn’t lose to the likes of this mortal.

As a rule of thumb, he couldn’t afford to look weak before his Doe. 

He has a sense of pride to uphold after all.

Meanwhile, Jack watched with uneasiness between the two men. While they seemed to be relaxed at first glance, the tension in the air was rather thick. He noticed that their respective right hands were stiff and rigid, their hands at an equal strength as they squeezed each other to the point that their nails were both digging into the respective man’s skin. He could almost hear the creaking of the bones underneath. In fact, he could almost feel it. Honestly, Jack had no idea what to do at this point. He knew he had to stop them but it would seem that they were at a stalemate at some sort. 

“Ya got a good grip there, Sir.” Aster noted, still keeping his hold on John’s hand. 

“Likewise, Mr. Munddy.” John replied back, not making any sign that he was easing up. 

Much to the disguised god’s displeasure…

This politeness charade that they’re playing went on for a good long minute. Aster was surprised that he haven’t crushed the poor man’s hand yet, though it wouldn’t make him look good in front of Jack. After all, this isn’t like the old days where you had to rip out throats and castrate with your teeth for the right to mate. Finally, both he and Mr. Frost both released their hands from each other. Aster flexed his hand a bit to regain the feeling, refusing to show sign of pain. 

“Well, then…” Then he turned to Jack and gave him a charming smile. “See you next time?” 

Jack almost jumped out of his skin when the latter turned to him. His mind drew a blank for literally 10 seconds until what he said finally sank into his head. Immediately, he mentally berated himself for his delayed reaction before responding. 

“Uh, yeah, sure…” Then he paused for a moment as he tried to think of something else. “So, exchange numbers?” 

Aster stared at him blankly as he cocked his head to the side. 

“…numbers?” He asked, sounding confused. 

“You know? Phone numbers?” Jack then pulled out the small device that he used as a music source. “That way we can still keep contact.”

That is when Aster found out what Jack was talking about and mentally kicked himself for overlooking this factor. It would seem that the human race was more advanced than he thought. The only forms of communication that he had seen were scribe writing and the usage of human messengers. But now, it was those small metal slabs that not only provide music but also provide means of communication. Pandora’s work was really shown ever since her famous (or rather _**infamous**_ ) purpose of punishing both mankind of Greece and Prometheus. Sometimes he wondered if she is Hephaestus’ daughter…

Aster made a show of rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly as he quickly thought of the closest thing to an excuse. 

“Oh, eh, sorry, Mate, but I don’t seem to have one on me…” He glanced over to Jack’s father from the corner of his eye, noticing that he was staring at him as he furrowed his brows. Damn, that meant he was on to him.

“You left it at your hotel?” 

There, that’s what he needed. 

“Yeah, I did.” He answered quickly, figuring that this “hotel” is the upgraded version of the inn for humans. “But to be honest, it’s one of those…old fashioned things. I’m not much for technology. Prefer the old fashioned letter writing ya know?”

Jack gave him a thoughtful look before shrugging.

“Fair enough, I don’t judge. But how can we meet up next time? Cause…I can’t picture myself without giving a call or text.”

That is when Aster gave him a mysterious smile. 

“I’ll find a way. But who knows? We might run into each other again.”

“Right…” Jack smiled, before holding his hand out. “So, um, see you around?”

Aster reached out to clasp Jack’s hand into his own, giving it a firm squeeze and let it linger for a moment before releasing. 

“See you around.” 

And then with that, Aster head down the porch steps and made his way down the sidewalk. Jack watched his back until he turned a corner and disappearing into the black of the night. A soft sigh was released from his lips, rather felt lighter for some reason. He didn’t know why but he was looking forward to see him again. 

Maybe he has a point about strangers are just friends you haven’t met yet. 

“Jackson…” 

Uh-oh.

Jack blinked before turning to his Dad, there was that Look. 

The Look that was reserved when he was doing or had done something that he shouldn’t do…

“We need to talk.”

Double uh-oh.

-

As soon as “Aster” turned the corner, Bunnymund let out a breath that he never knew that he was holding. 

“That was too close…” he muttered to himself as he walked down the street. 

Bunnymund had mingled among certain (if not most) gods that have the potential to kill or curse anyone on the whim. Even come across monsters of all size and shape. But never in his eternal life has he come across a mortal such as his Doe’s father. Back in the in the old days, the village men would have to give up their eldest child, no questions asked. Of course, he rejected each tribute every year. Even the village leaders’ children were not excluded. And like all others, they are rejected. 

But Jack’s sire on the other hand is different. 

True it was because of his current form to ease down any mortals’ guard, but John (from what he remembered) kept his up as soon as he opened that door. He was even surprised that the show of strength that the latter displayed in that handshake. Bunnymund raised up his right hand, flexing it a bit as the joints creak in protest. Yup, he seems to be stronger than he speculated. The bruising may be faint but it was forming.  
However it wasn’t just the grip strength that he noticed. 

It was an afterthought as soon as he released John’s hand- he did enjoy the softness and smooth texture of Jack’s. For some reason, the palm of the latter’s felt cold. Not that unpleasant “ice cream headache” or the manipulated air machine from this afternoon, it was the kind of cold when you venture deep into a snow storm and no matter how much of protection you wrap yourself in, you can still feel that chill straight into your bones. 

That is what he felt. 

It was rather odd. For one thing, the current season was spring, his element. The air was too warm for any coldness of some kind. He could assume that the man held something cold but the kind of cold that he had experienced was nothing like that. 

Then he thought back at the lake that Jack had shown him. 

Could it be that there was more to this little town than he thought?

“I think I should look more into this…” he spoke to himself before turning another corner until he reached to an abandoned alleyway. 

Unlike his first night, it was void of any sign of life. So far there were only a few rubbish scattered here and there, along with some crude artwork painted on the walls. Bunnymund gave a one more look around to see if there are any stray mortals about before tapping his foot upon the ground a few times. This action opened up a tunnel hole for him and he leapt down feet first, allowing the tunnel to close behind him as soon as it opened. 

As it closed, it left behind a single flower in the concrete.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pandora - The first human woman constructed by Hephaestus and Athena, well-known for opening the infamous box that contain all evils out of curiosity. (Though speculations say that the "box" is actually a large storage jar). And the only thing that remained in the box/jar is hope. Her name means all-gifted and I tend to think that she's Hephaestus' daughter. In a way.


	13. The Talk and the Chat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, after two years, I FINALLY got this finished. I'm really sorry that it took me so long, I've finally got myself my new job last year and I've been busy, along with dealing with a combination of writer's block, brainstorming new fanart, and working on some fanart. I apologize for the delay, and in advance, apologize for the fact that updates might not be as speedy. But fret not, I have said it before and I'm gonna say it again. I am not going to abandon this or any other of my stories. However I do have limits, sometimes I needed a break and/or focus more on my life away from the keyboard. Plus making sure that everything flows in the story takes time. Although I have a feeling that most of you will just ignore this and will just say "update more" or hurry up.
> 
> But I digress. To those who have stuck with me this long, thank you for the support and I appreciate it!

Jack never thought that tomorrow would come soon. 

He was rather lucky that his Dad didn’t think about questioning him about last night. 

Just the basic “how was your day?” and “seen anything new?” That sort of mundane everyday stuff, nothing special…

However this morning might not be your garden-variety kind of thing.

There was breakfast and the family get-together, yes. But the only difference was the atmosphere. 

He just had the sixth sense kind of thing as long as he could remember. There was some kind of tense sensation in the air that you can cut it with a knife. And unfortunately, his sister was the first to finish up her breakfast in order to take care of something (homework or something) and his Mom had to run errands at the market. Which left him alone with Dad…and that alone wasn’t a good sign.

The only times he had face these kinds of things was when he had announced that he had detention or been sent to the principal’s office. 

Those he had experience so far, but the fact that he was out with some stranger…well, that one was a doozy. The silence between them was deafening, the only sound that he could hear was the ticking of the clock. Jack was only stirring his oatmeal, though it might be lukewarm by now while his father was leisurely eating his own breakfast as he read the latest news on his iPad at the same time.   
He was hoping that he might come up some excuse-anything, he only needed a few minutes to come up a good one- in order to get himself out of the kitchen/dining room and away from whatever talk that his Dad wanted to discuss with him.

Like the one time he had the Talk. 

Only that his Dad was a bit more blunt with his own take of the Birds and the Bees. Nevertheless, at least he was given enough knowledge whenever he decided to date. But that was beside the point. Right now, he had to wait for the oncoming storm. Whatever news article that his Dad was reading had to be at least long, long enough for him to finally come up something good and…

“So, Jackson,” He heard his dad suddenly spoke up, instantly stiffened. 

The usage of his real name, it was not a good sign.

It was NOT a good sign!

“I want to discuss about last night,” John began as he looked up from his iPad. “Concerning about this Mr. Munddy...” Jack took a spoonful of his oatmeal, tasting the lukewarm sweetness, chewing it slowly before swallowing it. Well, he always sees this as the same as removing the Band-Aid, might as well get it over with.

“Yeah?” he spoke, carefully taking the first step. Even though he mentally braced himself for what it is to come, it still doesn’t ease the churning, twisting feeling in his stomach. It was really uncomfortable and it took all the willpower for Jack not to squirm. 

“Listen, I know that you’re old enough to make your own decisions,” John began as he pushed his iPad away. “But I just wanted you to be careful with certain people that you’re interacting with. I would...just hate to see my little snowman upset if someone hurt him. That and the lawyers in this town don't defend dads who kill their children's potential love interest anymore.” 

Jack couldn’t help but laugh at the quip until he realized his Dad was slightly serious. 

“You’re serious.” It was a statement of fact, not a question. 

“Can you blame me?” The Frost patriarch rhetorically asked before smirking, akin to Jack’s. “But hey, at least I made you laugh.”

Jack chortled, he was glad that he didn’t take another bite of his oatmeal. There days that his dad could be such a goofball, which it was saying something since Jack inherited some of his charm (among other things). But still, he was rather glad that he had one of those understanding types. If he were honest, he was surprised that his dad was rather lenient with his sexuality when he came out to him at 14. His clearest memory of him was when they were hiking in the woods, gathering firewood, and he was mustering up the courage to come out of the closet at one point. 

He had the worst case scenario pictured in his mind, yelling, disowning, all the insults…he was prepared for it.

But what surprised him was what his Dad said on that day.

“…I don’t see what the big deal was about, Snowman,” He replied with a shrug. “Guy, girl, other, doesn’t really matter to me. What matters is your happiness and someone to be by your side.”   
Then he gave him a grin. 

“Just like me and your Ma!”

Jack was in college now, and he still has not found his significant other. Maybe it was because he had to focus on studying (yeah, he studied) or maybe it was because none struck his fancy. Or it could be both…but still, he believed that he would find his own true love one day. Just like his Dad did.

Speaking of which…

“You know…you never told me how you and Mom met, haven’t you?”

John merely waved it off but smiled nonetheless. 

“Hey, story for another time, Snowman,” then he ruffled his head, slightly messing the white hair on purpose. “Now eat up and get going. After all, you can’t sit on your butt all day.”

Jack chuckled but complied nonetheless, easing through his oatmeal before wrapping the rest to be saved for later in the fridge. He then made his way out to the front door but not before looking over to his Dad with one last time. 

“I won’t be long, Dad,” He told him before holding up his iPhone. “I’ll be sure to keep you posted.” 

His Dad smiled as he raised his coffee mug up in a mock toast. 

“You be careful now, Snowman.” He said, watching his son making his way out of the door. As soon as the door closed behind him, John frowned before turning back to his iPad. He tapped in the code that he had long memorized and brought back to the page that he was reading. It was a newspaper article about a local murder.

A local murder in THEIR town nonetheless.

From what he was reading, it was recent and left the authorities baffled.

Not to mention the appearance of that Munddy character…

There was no way that it could be a coincidence.

Can it?

“Oh, Jackie…”

-

Jack let out a contented sigh as he walked down the neighborhood, feeling a great weight being lifted off of his shoulders. He thought that talk was going to be harder than he thought, but as usual, Jack was just overthinking it. He should know his own dad by now but every day is a new adventure. He would learn a thing or two from him, such as finding out that he was from a Scandinavian ancestry (he remembered the one time they dressed as Odin and Loki one Halloween) or his accurate weather prediction that brought the news forecast to shame. (He distinctively remembered him scoffing out “ _Fox News_ was a bunch of hacks”). That and not once had he been seen drunk, whether at home or at the bar –that info he got from either his mother or his friends from work. But as much as he loved him, he still had the feeling that he still doesn’t know much about him.

Each day, he learned a certain thing…but not much about his paternal side of the family. 

Jack knew most of the family on his mother’s side, even met his twin great uncle and aunt who lived up in the Northwest. Or “grunkle and granty” that one of them insisted, it became stuck like that since he and Cora were kids. His Mom told him that he was orphaned when his parents died, and he had no other living relatives to speak of. 

How he got by before he met Mom was a complete mystery, though his explanations were rather vague. Sometimes he would not give out a straight answer, other times he would switch over to the new subject in a last minute. He always said that he would tell him when he was older, but he was 18 and in college…how much older does he need to be? His Dad did not give him the specifics on the exact age, and legally he should be considered an adult. He basically lived in a dorm but had the time to come over and visit but still.

 _I wouldn’t be surprised if he finally tells me when I’m 30…_ Jack thought sarcastically to himself as he walked down the long remembered path to the frozen lake. He felt a fond smile grew on his lips as soon as he felt the slight chill against his skin, and of course it never bothered him at all. It was kind of like wearing his warm sweater…but cold. He wasn’t that good of making analogies…

But he does know that he never got tired of the scenery before him. 

He remembered back when he was a kid that his father reassured him that it was thick enough for the both of them to walk on one spring afternoon, even talked him into doing it without shoes. He was a bit wary at first, but was rest assured when his bare feet first made contact to the solid ice. He could never forget how it felt against his skin; there was something soothing about the crisp coolness. Not only that, he always loved the scenery of this place. No matter what the season, the lake would forever be frozen. It was the best during the warm weather seasons. He could just sit before it, staring at the frozen water as he takes in the sight of nature and its contrasting beauty of a piece of winter within the warm weather. 

He did not know why, but Jack somehow knew that there was something magical about this place and the frozen lake was the heart of it. Whenever he comes here, he somehow felt rejuvenated, at peace even. Once in a while Jack could see some fauna in the distance or whenever he was walking in the woods, such as an occasional deer or rabbit. Other times he would spot some bird nests and some rabbit burrows when one would look close enough. 

Such as the unusually large one in the distance…wait, what?

Jack narrowed his eyes, not only trying to see better but to make sure that they weren’t playing tricks on him. It would seem that there is a rather large burrow…too large for a single rabbit. Or at least a warren of them but then again, the number of rabbits tend to vary and there was a particular breed where there are rabbits that can grow as big as a dog. He just shrugged it off before heading over to the town.   
There might be a possibility that he could run into Aster there.

-

Bunnymund couldn’t help but count his blessings that he managed to find some clothing that does not required killing off anyone who wouldn’t be missed by the public. There are some certain shops that were filled with discarded clothing that the humans tend to bring in within boxes upon boxes. He had to admit, it was hard to pick out the garments that were considered good among the hideously designed ones. He could have sworn that he had come across the flashiest shirt with tropical flowers. It was enough to sear the eyeballs off of god and man alike. 

_Even wearing it would be a cruel and unusual punishment to the humans._ Bunnymund sarcastically thought to himself as he readjusted the jacket of a heavy material. 

It was something that he managed to place together in a short time. While he still kept the boots and jeans, he had to change the top otherwise his Doe would catch on. The last thing he wanted was the courtship to end quickly and they would have the same song and dance all over again. Or worse, he would have to face the Sire. 

He didn’t know why but there was something about that human made him uneasy, and Bunnymund was _rarely_ uneasy. It was unusual, since there is literally huge power difference between them. If this were the old days, he would have threatened the man with a slow and painful death to the point that he would have no other choice but to give up his child to be his mate. Not to mention that he was well known fighter among the pagan gods, his absolute favorite was humiliating Ares and gained bragging rights. However, his Doe’s sire…he sets him on the edge. It was downright ludicrous, nothing scared him. Bunnymund simply stayed out of the more dangerous pagan gods but that was for precaution, there was a difference in that. However with Jack’s Sire, it was a different situation.

It didn’t make any lick of sense to him!

There was literally a huge difference between them when it comes to power. Even when he was in human disguise, he could rip a man’s heart out if he wanted to. Or if he felt like it, rip apart his jugular and let him bleed out like a pig. It doesn’t matter if he goes as himself or under disguise…the mere mention of his name was enough to place a mortal on edge. 

But he would repeat his statement from last night…Jack’s sire wasn’t like the other mortals in the past. 

It doesn’t make any sense to him! Everything about that man was average, from his build to his looks. Even his personality was average, sort of. He didn’t stuck around long enough to get to know the man but from the strength of his grip, it would indicate that underneath that unassuming and yet unremarkable appearance was a fierce man that would tear down the skies if anything would happen to his child. 

That is if he can.

And he hadn’t had good luck on trying to figure out any connection between him and the lake. Bunnymund hasn’t forgotten about that chill that he had felt upon his hand. It took the heat of his temporary warren and nest to warm him up, even going as far as wearing clothing. However the effect would not leave him. He kept all senses open to see if there is any resident god or spirit lingering around this small town. So, far, he would only picked out the small fry, an occasional fair folk or imp, but so far most of them are pretty much low-ranked. 

Not to mention that most of them never stayed long in Burgess.

That was another thing that he had noticed. 

There was very little influence made by the old gods, but yet strong magical influence. It felt natural…and also seasonal.

Just like him.

It doesn’t make any sense. 

While rare, certain deities were gifted with the powers akin to Mother Nature herself. The best known were the Four Season Sisters and the Iron Queen of the Greco-Roman faction as well as those who control the weather, such as the gods of the Far East and North. He himself was no exception. 

But here, there was strong winter magic in this town. And by strong, he mean really strong as well as ancient. Predating before the time of…well, everything. 

_That couldn’t be right,_ He thought to himself, leaning against the monument with his hands in the pockets of his jeans. _The only ones who have that kind of power were the Primordial, and that was back in the old days._

The Primordial – were said to exist alongside with the Creator himself. From what he heard, they’re so powerful that they had to be one with their respective element in order not to kill off humanity and unintentionally destroy reality itself. Or at least that was now it goes, no one really knows but they rather not wake the sleeping titan. Even Bunnymund knew when was the right time to open his mouth…among other things, that is.

Then his train of thought was halted when his nose picked up the familiar scent of his future mate. He could barely contain a smile upon his lips as he pulled himself away from the stone slab of the statue base to see Jack walking up to him. 

“Fancy meetin’ ya here,” He greeted, giving the younger man a charming smile. 

It might be his imagination, but Bunnymund could have sworn that he felt something thumping in against his chest whenever his Doe returned the smile. 

Maybe it had something to do with the unnatural whiteness of his teeth that this crazy bird was so obsessed about…

“Hey, Aster, I never thought you would be at this spot again.” Jack greeted. “I thought that you might be scared off by my dad last night.” The last part was partially intended as a joke, emphasis on partially.   
However Aster seemed to get it when he let out a chuckle. 

“It would take more than that to scare me.” 

_Although admittedly, my hand was still slightly hurting…_ he thought to himself.

But Jack does not need to know that part. Definitely, definitely not…

“I’m glad, my Dad can be scary when he wants to, but he’s a sweet guy once you get to know him.” There was a fond tone in his Doe’s voice when he spoke about his sire. 

“Ya love your father, do you?” It was more of a statement on observation rather than a question. It does not hurt to make some small talk. Besides, he gained some useful information that way whenever he passed himself off as a mortal. It was one of the few advantages that he considered his favorites. 

Jack nodded, still smiling. “Well, yeah, who doesn’t?” Then he looked up to him with those pretty blue eyes. “I mean, no parent is perfect but I couldn’t ask a better dad for me and my sister, you know?”

“You can say that again.” Aster commented, more to himself than to Jack. 

It was fascinating how different humans are when compared to gods, especially when it concerns parenting. Some, if not all, have lives destroyed in some way by some outside forces that were beyond their control. The Thunder Striker was the main offender and did nothing to do about it. Some of his children turned out ok, more like lucky if Juno didn’t get to them first. Most of the time, parents often think that what they were doing was for their child. A rather arrogant way of thinking in his opinion, but admittedly there were genuinely good ones. 

At least the ones who became bold enough to call in the damned Shaman to have him sealed. As much as he hated it to admit it, they do have the moxy now that he thought about it. 

“Sure he can be busy with work from time to time,” He heard Jack continued. “But somehow he made it work, just enough to spend some time with us.” Then he looked up at Bunnymund, staring at him straight in the eye. “Not all parents were able to pull that off, but he did. Who wouldn’t love him?”

Bunnymund could only give him a smile and nod, showing that he was listening. All the while formulating a plan inside his head…

To get to his Doe, he had to earn the respect of his Sire first. All the while, learn more about Jack along the way, slowly earning his trust before whisking him away to the Warren. However, that first part seemed to be the most challenging. His instincts were practically screaming at him that it was a bad idea and he should just court Jack first before earning the Sire’s respect, best to strategize now before regretting it. Dying at the hands of a mere mortal was bad enough, being cowed by one was humiliating.

The Quicksilver wouldn’t let him hear the end of it. That annoying so-called jack of all trades git, one of these days he would shove those winged sandals up his…

“Oh, and before I forget, I did come across something odd.” His Doe’s voice spoke up, breaking his train of thought. Bunny blinked a few times before relaying the comment and straightened himself up a bit. 

“Oh really?” he said. 

Jack nodded. “Yeah, before I came here….there was this really huge burrow by the woods.”

Bunnymund only blinked at this comment, but inwardly he actually felt his heart stop for a moment. Maybe it has been a while since he had taken on mortal disguise, but he was feeling the foreign sensation of his palms being damp. The urge to rub the back of his neck was difficult to control, leaving him to resort to placing his hands into his pockets in order to quell the urge. He felt his fingers tug at the inner lining of the fabric. Bunnymund tried to appear nonchalant, but it seemed to be hard to maintain that attitude due to that sensation that he was feeling in his stomach. 

“A huge burrow, you say?” He spoke casually, hoping to every deity above and below that it didn’t sound forced. “Sounds like a huge family of rabbits ta me.”

Luckily for him, Jack didn’t seem to notice as he shook his head a bit. “I don’t know…I’ve been hiking out in the woods with my Dad since I was a kid.” He replied. “I have seen a warren with a certain number. But not THAT huge.”

This is bad…this is really, really bad. 

He should have thought this through. Bunnymund was usually so careful whenever he was amongst mortals. Perhaps it was the fact that he was sealed so long that he got arrogant and thought that no one would have the right mind to take a walk in the woods in this day and age. He had never given thought that there would be the possibility that his temporary home would be discovered by very few humans such as his future mate. He racked his brains for a good excuse, inwardly cursing his delayed timing of his charming silver tongue. He must be rustier than he thought…

“It could be one of those breeds that grew large.” Bunnymund inwardly kicked himself for something as stupid as that. There was no way that Jack would believe that!

“I guess, that would be possible,” Jack spoke, shrugging. “I mean, unusual growth happened once in a while in some species.” 

“Yeah, it does.” 

Nearly dodged that one…

 _But from now on,_ Bunnymund thought to himself, _I had to be especially cautious._ One screw up like this was the only one he could afford to have. If Jack picked up on anything like this again then he would surely catch on. And he could not afford that. Not when he has gotten so close to him in such a short time. He must be sure to tie up all potential loose ends securely as to avoid them being led back to him. 

_And I'll start with that burrow when I get the chance._

A touch here and there would make it shrink down a bit. With any luck Jack will forget what the real size of the burrow was, as well.

“So, shall we?” Bunnymund finally asked, now that he got an idea on where to start later. 

Jack nodded as he pulled out his small device which looked vaguely like a small box. 

“Yeah, just let me text my Dad to let him know what I’m doing.”

Bunnymund simply smiled as a series of questions ran through his head. Stared with one…

_Just what the bloody Hell is a text?_


	14. To the Library

Last chapter:

_Just what the bloody Hell is a text?_

-

**Hey, Dad! :)**

**Just wanna let you know that I ran into Aster again and giving him another tour around town.**

**Might come home late tonight.**

**Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.**

“And send.” Jack spoke in a sing-song tone as he pressed the send button upon the touchscreen, hearing the whoosh sound it made to indicate that the message had been delivered. He then turned to Aster with a bright smile. “So, ready for part two of the tour?” 

Bunny had to return the smile-he couldn’t help it, his intended mate’s smiles are contagious! 

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, please lead the way.” 

Jack’s smile grew wider as he casually bumped his shoulder against his. “Follow me.” was all He could say before heading into town. The moment his back was turned, a sly smirk grew on Bunny’s lips as he stared after him. 

“I fully intend to.”

—

“So, you don’t even know what a text is, huh?” Jack asked teasingly. “Man, you are more retro than I thought!” 

Bunny raised an eyebrow at this. “Retro?” 

Is that meant to be a term of endearment of some sort? The way of language among mortals have either become complex or rather regressed while he was imprisoned. He noticed that Jack’s face went blank as he stared up at Bunny. 

“…Did I say something wrong?” It sounded like he did, judging by the way Jack was looking at him. 

“You’re…not really literate when it comes wit technology, are you?” He asked rhetorically. 

Bunny opened his mouth to try to come up an excuse but somehow his brain stopped functioning when he couldn’t even try to think of a possible scenario that would make his current situation plausible. In a way, he placed himself between a rock and a very hard place. His silence confirmed to Jack’s question as he felt his future mate’s hand upon his shoulder, causing him to stare at the younger man. Bunny could practically feel the intensity from the latter’s sky blue gaze. 

“We need to go to the library.” He finally declared. 

-

Needless to say that he didn’t expected their second meeting like this.

But somehow Bunny found himself practically dragged to the building that he was assuming as the town library. He could feel the sense of nostalgia washed over him as soon as they come up to the doors. He hadn’t been in one since the Alexandrian Library, and this one was rather small compared to it back in the day. There was nothing remarkable about it, just a quaint white building with the sign “Hawthorne Local Library” displayed above the entrance. To make up for its plain appearance, there were images of a river town painted upon the surface and probably around the exterior just on the left-hand side. His nose could pick up the smell of the river near by, and his skin was greeted by the coolness of the air. 

“Your training starts here,” Jack spoke in a rather dramatic manner. 

Bunny rose an eyebrow as he looked down at him. 

“An’ yer my master?” He asked, playing along with the small joke. He couldn’t help but added a bit of a purr in his low tone. The very thought of his future mate being on top of him was arousing but he had to keep in control. After all, patience is a virtue. 

Though his self-control was nearing its limit…

Fortunately for him, Jack didn’t notice his plight or picked up anything from his comment.

“In a way, yes.” He said, now using his normal voice. “And what better way to give you the 101 on the wonders of technology than the library? Sure, there’s the internet, but nothing beats the classic. That and it helps you catch up on your reading.”

Well, he can’t argue with him on that. He couldn’t remember the last time he read something before his imprisonment. That and it was a good opportunity to catch up on past and current events. Besides, he had seen how developed humans were so far. Might as well see how they got from point A to point B.

“Alright, remember, no talking in the library except whispering for communication!” Jack stated before heading inside.

Bunny followed suit, inwardly surprised at the different door design (crystalline this time) as it slides to the side automatically. He took a moment to admire the advancement of human technology before continuing on following Jack into the air-conditioned interior again. This time his nostrils picked up the scent of dust and a mixture of old and new pages. The only sounds that can be heard are the tapping sounds that were made by the humans in front of the glowing boxes, the turning of the pages, and the occasional not so soft voices from the little ones somewhere within the building. He sniffed at the last part, finding the irony of the idea of a library before taking note that Jack was heading for a large desk that had the sign “reception” in a rather gaudy gold-like metal upon the mood. 

“How can I help you?” The woman asked, rather nasally and a bit rude judging by her tone as she gazed rather blankly at the screen in front of her. 

He rose an eyebrow at this, noting that it wasn’t fitting personality for a caretaker of the library. But then again, Bunny had to keep comments to himself. After all, he didn’t want to look bad in front of his future mate, among other things. 

Jack wisely ignored the rudeness and instead placed on his winning smile and find the sincerity in politeness in his tone. 

“Yeah, what can you recommend us when it comes with technology?” he asked.

“The computer for starters.” Came the Receptionist’s dry reply. 

Jack felt his eye twitch before taking an inhale through the nose and exhaled slowly. “I would but you can say that I’m a stickler for the old-fashioned method. Computers are the last resort, you know?”

“So, staring at your iPhone in a middle of the street not enough for you? That would be understandable.” She said, her eyes are still glued to the screen.

The woman didn’t even made an effort to hide the condescending tone in her voice! He clenched his hand into a tight fist, trying to quell his incoming anger. Calm down…his mother doesn’t raised him to be the type to lash out. Or resort to some pranks that are fitting to people like her…

Conceal…don’t…feel…-self-righteous…fury!

“Actually, it’s for my friend here.” He clarified, gesturing to Aster behind him. 

The taller man decided to make his presence known as he walked up next to Jack, placing on his best quiet voice as much as possible. “G’day, Sheila.” He greeted, placing on his best charming smile. 

This somehow caught the Receptionist’s attention and she actually done a double take before getting a good look at Bunny. The elder god made a show of not noticing but he continued to observe discreetly at the range of emotions that the woman was having behind her spectacles. Shock, awe, and then lust. Well, the last part he wasn’t really surprised. After all, he had to look what appeals to human’s interest, be it male or female. 

He had to admit, she is rather nice-looking enough for any man that would come to her way. However she was rather unremarkable in his opinion. Maybe it was the fact that she tried a bit too hard to make her hair look like a prim and proper bun, or her lipstick needed a bit more touch up. He didn’t know but something about her didn’t even hold a candle to his Jack. 

“Why hello there, kind sir.” She greeted, a bit more politely this time. 

Jack blinked once at the sudden change of attitude as soon as the Receptionist turned her attention to Aster. And for some odd reason, he couldn’t help but feel rather uncomfortable about this. 

“If ya don’t mind, would you mind to recommend any books on the subject?” Aster asked. “I’m afraid that I’m very old fashioned in this day and age, and I honestly can’t tell from an iPhone from a box. Pathetic isn’t it?”

“Oh not at all, sir,” the Receptionist reassured him, her tone was rather sugary sweet. “I have a mother who needed a reminder to know how to work on a skype chat, so I understand.”

There were all kinds of shit that she was practically sprouting. Bunny should know, it’s an acquired skill among the gods, no matter what rank. Well, MOST gods. There are certain few that genuinely wanted to help and benefit humanity. The bleeding heart types, if you will. But at least they are smart enough to stay away from petty squabbles amongst their relatives. Most of the time. But still, he’s a gentleman at heart (most of the time). He knew which words that would sound appealing to the ears of willing yet unknowing mortals. So he would at least entertain her. 

Besides, it was rather entertaining to watch various emotions dance within Jack’s eyes. 

“So, you know any books that you can recommend?” 

“Actually, I do,” Then she turned to the device that she was staring blankly at and started to allow her fingers dance over the lettered tiles. 

“Thank you so much, Ma’am.” Bunny smiled. 

“Oh, please, call me Sue.” 

Jack gritted his teeth as he clenched his hand so hard, he could feel the nails bite against his palm. His control over his urge to snap at the woman to stop flirting with his friend (maybe?) and give them the damn books already. Unfortunately, Jack didn’t want to risk of being banned from the library for who knows how long and risk explaining this to his mother why he wasn’t allowed to even check out a book for her. He almost didn’t noticed that he was tapping his foot rather impatiently when the Receptionist let out a rather exaggerated hum as she tapped her manicured nail against the mouse while staring at the screen. 

The wi-fi connection in this place was standard, though even he can experience an occasional lag or two. But this was ridiculous. He stealthily glanced up at the clock and found out that it was only at least five minutes and she was purposely made a show that it was lagging. Already, the urge to tell her to hurry up was really tempting. But he didn’t want to make himself look bad in front of Aster. 

He had to slowly inhale and exhale out, trying to calm himself and think happy thoughts. As time passes, Sue-aside from her introduction, it was also featured on her name tag- shifted in her seat a bit while rubbing her arm a bit. 

“God, the air con must be on too high,” she muttered to herself before finally-seemingly- to get the page that she was looking for. “Oh, there we go! Let’s see…well, we can start with the complete history of technology, which is right around the nonfiction section.” 

“We can handle that from here, thank you for your time!” Jack cuts in before giving Aster the chance to speak and without even thinking, he grabbed Aster’s wrist and pulled him away from the reception desk. They both made the beeline for a particular section of the library, to which Bunny concluded that the further down the building might be various genre compared to the non-fiction. It might also include various recorded histories and the like. He smirked inwardly to himself as he watched Jack rather furiously searched through the spines of the books. Or at least that it was what it looked like in his point of view. That expression he was wearing resembled an angry kitten and there was some tense stiffness in his fingers as he used them to scan the titles, all the while muttering about how rude some receptionists are these days. 

Bunny had to hold back a laugh when his ears picked up on that. Honestly, he didn’t mean to drag it on a bit, but he rather liked this side of Jack that he had been observing discreetly. Judging by the way he was acting, it would seem that his mate seemed to have fancy him as well.

This was an interesting development so far.

“So, ya feelin’ alright, mate?” He asked casually, even though he knew the answer. 

“Fine! Just peachy…” Jack replied rather too quickly before changing his tone in order to cover it up as he continued to scan the spines before finally picking out the book that he was looking for. “I think this was it…come on, I’m gonna find a table for us in the back.”

Bunny nodded as he followed the younger man, though internally he couldn’t help but feel flattered that he would get jealous over him. 

This is certainly a great step.

—

The entire time they made their way to the very back of the building, Jack was mentally kicking himself for acting rather stupid in front of his friend and current guest. 

What was he thinking?!

Why did he suddenly snap at the receptionist before yanking Aster along?! 

Granted, she was rather rude and unhelpful but that was no excuse for him to lash out like that. Not to mention how he responded to Aster while trying to find the book in order to forget what happened. 

_God, I must be such an ass to him._ He thought to himself as they finally reached to their destination. 

The said room had a few aisles of long tables and it was just located right next to the children’s and juvenile literature section. Luckily for them, it was a bit of a slow day at the library, and a few teenagers were on the computers at the young adult literature section, most likely updating their FaceSpace status. While talking a bit too loudly but not loud enough to annoy the patrons. 

“I think this is a good spot,” Jack said as he took a seat. 

Aster made a beeline to the chair next to him, looking rather impressed at the fact that the chair had some wheels. He couldn’t help but smile before setting the book down. 

“Well, I have a feeling that this would be a long day for a lesson.” He joked lightly, opening up the book as he did so. “Let’s start with this…”

Honestly, he was starting to feel a bit better about this day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy RotG Anniversary, everybody! I know that the real anniversary date has passed but it's still Rise of the Guardians month. That and it's the month of giving thanks as well as looking forward to the month of wonder that is coming up. That and I somehow found a possible update pattern, I would update my top two hitters, this story and Flicker, while uploading new ones that I got tinkering around. So with that said, I hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and survived Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
> 
> Just remember...within all of us is a Santa, an Easter Bunny, a Tooth Fairy, a Sandman, a Jack Frost, and the Boogeyman. 
> 
> Always spread wonder, inspire hope, make memories, create dreams, have fun, and always face your fears. 
> 
> Cheers!


End file.
